Throughout the past week, Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson has proven why she is capable of becoming the best player in the WNBA. Her dominance hasn’t just surged the Aces up the standings, but has put her name in contention for some massive accolades. WNBA insider Ros Gold-Onwude, in fact, believes the MVP race just got closer.
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The reigning MVP has taken over the league and is ruling in emphatic fashion. Courtesy of Wilson’s extraordinary performance, the Aces are on a nine-game winning streak. During this stretch, she has averaged 26.0 points, 13.1 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game.
Wilson’s play has already resulted in her earning the last two WNBA Player of the Week awards. Her recent play has Gold-Onwude believing the three-time MVP could earn her fourth.
“A’ja is absolutely putting pressure on this MVP case,” Gold-Onwude said on Good Follow. “For A’ja it’s not just physical dominance, for me it’s her mental dominance.”
In comparison to past years, the Aces haven’t been the same powerhouse they have had a reputation of being. Wilson has been able to mitigate that change by simply leading her team to multiple wins with her play and leadership.
It’ll be difficult for Wilson to emulate the type of year she put together in the 2024 season, but that might not be the requirement to win the MVP race. The face of the league’s surge may have come at the perfect time, as the current favorite for the award, Napheesa Collier, is unable to defend herself.
“Napheesa Collier has missed five straight games. The more she misses and A’ja dominates and the Aces find ways to continue to climb the standings, the tighter this thing will get,” Gold-Onwude said.
Collier has all the traits to win her first WNBA MVP. She has led the Minnesota Lynx to the best record in the league and is having her best season in the process. She is currently averaging a career-high 23.5 points along with 7.5 rebounds on 53.7% shooting from the field.
The award seemed like it was a lock for Collier. Unfortunately, she has missed the last five games due to an ankle sprain. An MRI revealed that she avoided a serious injury. But the team is taking necessary precautions to ensure a full recovery. Although Wilson is making things interesting, Gold-Onwude doesn’t like the narrative that is building against Collier.
“I don’t like penalizing Napheesa Collier’s MVP case simply because her team is good or that they’ve been able to win without her,” Gold-Onwude said. The Lynx might be staying afloat now, but the team will only go as far as Collier takes them in the long run.
The NBA has had a tradition of awarding the best player on the best team win the MVP award. Gold-Onwude doesn’t think it’s wrong if the WNBA follows suit.
