Even as the WNBA is loaded with talent, a clear top three has emerged in the 2023 MVP race. (And it looks pretty similar to the 2023 DPOY race!)
With apologies to Jewell Loyd, Jackie Young, Napheesa Collier and Nneka Ogwumike, A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart and Alyssa Thomas have established themselves as the leading contenders for the WNBA’s ultimate honor. Here’s the midseason case for each of three:
A’ja Wilson (Las Vegas Aces)
The numbers: 20.5 ppg, 55.2 fg%, 9.8 rpg, 1.3 spg, 2.1 bpg, 30.2 PER
The pitch: The best player on the best team.
Being on a super team requires sacrifices. For Wilson, that sacrifice might include winning back-to-back MVPs.
It’s easy to envision the majority of voters deciding that the Aces’ accumulation of talent is too unfair and, therefore, that Wilson, while once again excellent, is not absolutely essential to her team’s success. Or, at least not essential enough to be named MVP.
Yet, if this possibly faulty premise is discarded, it would be hard not to determine that Wilson is more than worthy of joining Sheryl Swoopes, Lisa Leslie and Lauren Jackson as a three-time WNBA MVP.
Whether quantified through traditional or advanced stats, the totality of Wilson’s 2023 production exceeds that of her previous MVP performances….
