The word thrown around to describe the WNBA’s 28th season is “historic.”
I think it’s better described with a name: A’ja Wilson.
Of course, when the league comes up in conversation, many immediately jump to Fever guard Caitlin Clark, who, along with Sky forward Angel Reese, has been credited for ushering in a new era for the WNBA. But when it comes to defining the excellence demonstrated in the league’s 40-game season, the only place to start is with Wilson.
The question is: Will her dominance be enough to lead the Aces to a mountaintop only the defunct Houston Comets have reached?
While Wilson completed a season that left no room for debate regarding who the best player in the world is, other end-of-season awards were less obvious.
I again had the privilege of voting with 67 other media members representing all 12 WNBA markets. Here are my selections for the league awards:
Most Valuable Player: A’ja Wilson
This pick was like brewing your favorite cup of coffee in the morning on your reliable drip coffee maker — foolproof.
Wilson broke the single-season scoring record with 1,021 points in 38 games. She also set a single-season rebounding record and led the league in blocks. Her greatness should be acknowledged with a unanimous MVP pick.
Rookie of the Year: Caitlin Clark
Like my vote for Wilson, picking Clark as the league’s Rookie of the Year was easy. And not because I graduated from Iowa, despite what many would like to believe.
Not only did Clark have one of the best rookie seasons in WNBA history, she was one of the league’s best players regardless of experience. She set the season record for assists, had the most games with 20 points, five rebounds and five assists in a season, was the first rookie to record a triple-double — which she did twice — and helped lead the Fever back to the playoffs for the first time in nearly 10 years.
Coach of the Year: Cheryl Reeve
Reeve is the league’s longest-active coach and one of the greatest in its history at executing swift turnarounds.
After two seasons with a winning percentage below .500, Reeve has a team that many believed wouldn’t even make the playoffs as the No. 2 seed entering the postseason. She did it with two new starters, Courtney Williams and Alanna Smith, whom she picked up in free agency due to the Sky’s negligence.
Defensive Player of the Year: A’ja Wilson
This vote was one of the most challenging because of the year Napheesa Collier had. I expect many will have voted for Collier, who might even win the award in the end. But Wilson led the league in blocks and rebounds, was first in defensive win shares, third in total steals and second in defensive rating, which is why she got my vote.
Most Improved: DiJonai Carrington
Many considered Chennedy Carter for this award, but my vote went to Carrington because she improved year over year. Carter has always been the dominant player we saw this season. This was just her first complete season. This was Carrington’s first year as a starter. Her scoring average was up by 55.42%, rebounds by 65.52% and assists by 15.38%.
Sixth Woman of the Year: Tiffany Hayes
Hayes was retired before the Aces persuaded her to join their attempt at a three-peat. She signed nearly three weeks into the season and has been critical for them off the bench, averaging 9.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists.