WNBA Midseason Awards: A'ja's Dominance; Caitlin Clark vs Angel Reese for Top Rookie
We're weeks deep into the WNBA's All-Star and Olympic break, as Team USA rolls toward an eighth consecutive gold medal. As we watch the league's stars tear it up on the world stage, I know some of us are itching to get the second half of the W season revving back up.
While we wait for the Aug. 14 restart, let's take a look at some of the front-runners for individual awards a little past the halfway mark of the season.
Most Valuable Player: A'ja Wilson
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What two-time MVP A'ja Wilson is doing this season has potential to be an unprecedented WNBA performance. If she maintains her 27.2 points-per-game clip, she'll become the second player to ever average more than 25 points per game, smashing Diana Taurasi's league-record 25.3 set in 2006.
As the back-to-back champion Las Vegas Aces struggled to return to their elite form at the beginning of the season, Wilson held things down and provided the consistency to steer the team into the pre-break heater that got it right back on track.
Coming off narrowly missing a third MVP nod in 2023, she's found ways to improve upon her already ridiculous career stats, like her first 20-20 game coming this season and a bigger emphasis on draining threes (career high 39.5 percent).
She leads the league in total points (653), win shares (a whopping 7, No. 2 is Breanna Stewart at 5.1), Player Efficiency Rating (35.6, next up is Brittney Griner at 25.4 percent) and points per game (27.2). She's top-five in every major statistical category excluding assists.
Wilson's potentially historic numbers speak for themselves but further the completeness of her game, and the consistency that lifted her team back to the league's upper echelon make her the resounding front-runner for Most Valuable Player halfway through the season.
Rookie of the Year: Caitlin Clark
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The WNBA Rookie of the Year conversation has been one of the most contentious in all of sport at times this season. You've got two extremely hyped rookies in Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese both somehow exceeding our obnoxiously high expectations.
You've got consistency, defensive prowess and rebounds for days with Reese. You had a bit of a "slower" start from Clark, but an astronomical trajectory that has now propelled her as the standalone front-runner at the close of the first half.
Clark leads the WNBA in assists per game with 8.2, which would break the rookie record (Ticha Penicheiro's 7.5 in 1998) and become a top-five all-time mark if it holds up. She leads all rookies in points per game (17.1), Basketball Reference's player efficiency rating (19.6) and WNBA.com's efficiency rating (509) and three-pointers, among other stats. She became the first rookie to ever record a triple-double, and she's on pace to become the first rookie with a 15/5/5 season. She also set the single-game assist record for any player.
I'm sure Reese, her continued consistency, and her increased willingness to shoot from range will continue to make the Rookie of the Year conversation interesting in the second half, but Clark has been pulling away recently.
Coach of the Year: Cheryl Reeve
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Not many expected the formerly dynastic but recently struggling Minnesota Lynx to be where they are: Commissioner's Cup champs, 17-8 and at the top of the Western Conference (third overall) halfway through the season. Maybe not many except head coach Cheryl Reeve.
"You have to talk about us now," Reeve told reporters after the in-season Cup win. And here we are.
The Lynx had a lot of moving parts in the offseason, like the acquisitions of Courtney Williams and Alanna Smith, and Reeve has been able to navigate the transitions and usage remarkably smoothly. She also coached the team to the top of the Western Conference while difference-maker Diamond Miller was out for 13 games with a knee injury.
Part of that success has been Napheesa Collier's continuing the 20 points-per-game pace we saw last year as well as her all-around game. It seems like this team loves to play for Reeve, and she's getting the most out of her players. The 57-year-old is sure making her mark on the Olympic stage as the coach of Team USA.
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Defensive Player of the Year: Napheesa Collier
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As we've watched the Lynx rise to the top of the West, we've seen Napheesa Collier making an impact at every turn. The 27-year-old's scoring has obviously been huge, but she's also pacing the best defensive team in the league, as Minnesota sits with a 93.7 defensive rating—a massive improvement from last year's third-worst 105.7.
The UConn product and top-five MVP candidate ranks third leaguewide in rebounds per game (10.2), third in defensive rebounds per game (7.6) and second in steals per game (2.2), all while remaining top-five in points per game (20).
All together, she owns the league-best defensive win share rate at .251 and a stellar 90.7 defensive rating, which puts her ahead of two-time reigning DPOY A'ja Wilson (99.4) in the category.
Wilson may be a threat to take both this award as well as MVP, much like she did in 2022, but Collier will have her say in both races before the year is out.
Most Improved Player: DiJonai Carrington
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Connecticut Sun guard/forward DiJonai Carrington's fourth pro season has been her best yet as she's graduated to full-time starter status.
She ended the first half of the season averaging career highs in points (12.9), rebounds (5.2) and assists (1.8) without compromising her characteristically sound defensive game.
Carrington's smothering defense held Caitlin Clark to two field goals in the first half of her pro debut (Clark finished with 20 points on 5-of-15 shooting, but Carrington exited the game with cramps).
The 2021 second-rounder has remained a nightmare to play against, leading one of the best defenses in the league while stepping it up with more offensive responsibility this season as one of the year's biggest All-Star snubs.
There are plenty of solid options for Most Improved Player so far, but Carrington's impact stands out for the second-place Sun.
Sixth Player of the Year: Tiffany Hayes
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The Sixth Player of the Year Award, which goes to the most valuable bench player in the league, is a fantastic opportunity to dive into the impact bench players can truly have on a team in so many different situations.
Chennedy Carter of the Chicago Sky is an obvious front-runner halfway through the season, but she's so deserving of the award that she's actually shifted to the starting five and played six games as a starter. She's still eligible for the award considering she's come off the bench more times (12) than she's started, but it's certainly trending the other way for her.
The 25-year-old is leading the team with 17.2 points per game, and next closest is Angel Reese at 13.5. She's shooting at a 51.8 percent clip per game.
You don't demote a player making this kind of impact at this pace, especially one who has made strides after some disciplinary issues in the past. Carter always had the potential to be who she has become, and after some time away from the game and growth, it's time to let her cook and see what happens.
Now that brings us to Aces guard Tiffany Hayes. The 2017 All-Star came out of retirement to sign with Las Vegas in May, as Chelsea Gray's absence left the back-to-back champions struggling early this season.
Hayes was crucial as the Aces regained their footing. And with Gray now back, 34-year-old provides the champion depth that has Las Vegas back on top and aiming for a three-peat.
She's averaging 8.0 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game, and while Carter is crushing any Sixth Player contender, she's earned a different role at this point.
Hayes is truly a depth player who stepped up to keep a contender afloat, and she deserves credit for the Aces' resilience.
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