Indiana Fever guard Aliyah Boston believes one of her teammates deserves to be in the MVP conversation, but she wasn't referring to Caitlin Clark.
On a recent episode of her "Post Moves" podcast, Boston discussed the MVP race with Candace Parker. The three-time WNBA champion and seven-time All-Star listed A'ja Wilson and Olivia Miles as her top finalists for the award. Boston quickly interjected and vouched for Fever star Kelsey Mitchell.
Parker then revealed that she has Kelsey Mitchell and Paige Bueckers as her last two finalists for MVP.
"Those are my 4. I think you could swap, but I think Olivia Miles gets the edge just because they're the No. 1 team in the league," Parker said. "You know, they're ahead, head and shoulders, I would say, above. Um, but yeah, I think A'ja Wilson, again, unless voters get tired, you know, this mid-season, yeah, it's hard not to have her in the conversation."
© Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images.
A few days later, Boston raved about Mitchell while warming up at practice. She raved about the veteran guard's leadership and work ethic.
"Kelsey comes in here and she works every day," Boston said. "She gets up extra shots. She just comes in and does what she needs to do. And I think, honestly, she’s really just the MVP. I think that’s just what she’s been doing. Every single night you see her come out and she drops, I don’t even know how many points at this rate. She defends her butt off and we just come out here and we play. She does exactly what she needs to do, so I’m really proud of her."
Some fans are wondering if Boston intentionally snubbed Clark in the MVP conversation.
"She gets more engagement by snubbing Caitlin," one fan declared.
"Is there a conspiracy against Caitlin Clark?" another fan asked.
Who is the true leader for the Fever?
Caitlin Clark has been highly productive this season, averaging 21.7 points and 8.2 assists per game. Mitchell, on the other hand, is leading the Fever in scoring at 24.3 points per contest.
Even though Clark is the most marketable player in the WNBA, some people believe Mitchell is their go-to option when it matters most.
“I’m a fan of Caitlin Clark, but the best player on the Indiana Fever is Kelsey Mitchell,” said ESPN's Stephen A. Smith. “That’s not disrespect to Caitlin Clark – she can play. The point is Kelsey Mitchell is averaging 24 points per game and three less turnovers per game than Caitlin Clark.”
At the end of the day, the Fever are glad they've got Boston, Clark and Mitchell on their roster. If that trio plays up to their potential, they could very well win the WNBA Finals this season.
