Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier will be named 2024 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, according to Shams Charania. His report coincides with a social media post from the WNBPA that appeared to inadvertently leak the upcoming award winners.
Collier, who finished second in this season’s MVP voting behind A’ja Wilson, was the anchor for one of the league’s best defenses this season. The Lynx finished second in defensive rating (94.8), first in opponent field goal percentage (41.0) and fourth in opponent turnover rate (19.7).
On an individual level, Collier averaged 1.9 steals and 1.4 blocks per game, which ranked second and seventh in the league, respectively, and had 3.7 defensive win shares, which was also good for second. When she was on the floor for the Lynx, they had a 92.2 defensive rating, and when she sat it balooned to 99.1.
Though players such as No. 1 overall pick Caitlin Clark are beginning to change the game, the WNBA remains a frontcourt dominated league. As such, when Collier was tasked with guarding the other team’s best player each night, she was often dealing with fellow MVP candidates and All-WNBA caliber stars such as Wilson, Breanna Stewart and Alyssa Thomas.
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