The WNBA’s MVP race is far from over, but it sure seems like Olivia Miles has the edge over Caitlin Clark.
Miles, the No. 2 pick from this year’s draft, is averaging 19.9 points and 6.2 assists per game for the Minnesota Lynx. As for Clark, she’s been running the Indiana Fever’s offense at a high level with 22.1 points and 8.3 assists per game.
Despite putting up superior numbers, Clark hasn’t been mentioned as a true contender for MVP this season. Miles, however, is expected to be a finalist for the award.
According to The Athletic, the reason Miles has generated more MVP buzz than Clark is because Minnesota has been consistent all year. Indiana, on the other hand, was hovering around .500 for the first half of the season.
“Through the first half of the Fever season, Indiana was .500 when Clark played. She was struggling from beyond the arc (33.4 percent on 3s), was regularly subbed out for late-game defensive possessions and was making too many headlines for her technical fouls and turnovers. The Fever didn’t take a top-four seed in the standings until the end of July, and a top seed has historically been imperative for any MVP candidate,” Annie Costabile and Sabrina Merchant wrote.
“Miles has received the secondary buzz instead of Clark in the MVP conversation in part because of the Fever’s slower start to the season. Miles has provided loads of highlights this season and has exceeded expectations; by extension, so have the Lynx.”
Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images.
WNBA legend Candace Parker shares her thoughts.
Earlier this month, three-time WNBA champion and seven-time All-Star Candace Parker named A’ja Wilson, Olivia Miles, Paige Bueckers and Kelsey Mitchell as her four MVP finalists.
“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.”
It’s interesting that Parker went with Mitchell over Clark. To be fair, she’s the Fever’s leading scorer with 24.3 points per game.
