Caitlin Clark may only be entering her sophomore year, but she is already considered to be one of the best players in the WNBA today. In many preseason predictions and odds, she is listed among the favorites to win the MVP award, while the Indiana Fever have championship aspirations this season.
Clark is listed with the third-best odds for the MVP award, according to Action Network. She is behind reigning unanimous MVP A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces and defending champion Breanna Stewart of the New York Liberty
As good as she is, the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year might still be far from the highest individual award in the league.
Here are three reasons why Caitlin Clark might not win the MVP award this season.
3 reasons why Caitlin Clark might not win MVP crown this season
1. Clark has a pedestrian year
Caitlin Clark has been solid but not great to start her sophomore campaign, only averaging 19.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 9.3 assists, and 1.3 steals per game in her first four games this season.
These numbers are not far from what she put up when she was a rookie last year. She recorded 19.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 8.4 assists per game to win the top rookie prize last season.
While she had a triple-double to start the season against the Chicago Sky, she has yet to have any notable games worth talking about early in the season.
This could change at any stretch this season, but given how she set the tone for her second year, this could hamper any MVP case she may have.
2. The Fever could not win enough games
So far, the Fever have split their first four games, winning two games and losing the other two.
MVPs usually come from the top teams in the standings. If the Fever continue this trend, Clark’s MVP case could be derailed.
The Fever finished last year as the sixth seed with a 20-20 win-loss record. Because of this, Clark finished fourth in the MVP race, only getting a total of 130 points without any first or second-place votes.
If Clark wants to get the MVP nod this year, she must lead the Fever to victories, especially in the regular season, to prove her case as the best player in one of the league’s best teams.
3. There are just better candidates so far
Perhaps the biggest reason is that other players are poised for better seasons than Caitlin Clark.
Look at reigning MVP A’ja Wilson, who is already putting up impressive stat lines to start the year, averaging 22.7 points and 14.7 rebounds per game in just her first four games. Another favorite is Kelsey Plum of the LA Sparks, who is notching 24.0 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game for her new team.
There are many other contenders for the WNBA MVP this year, and they could easily outlast Clark in the race before the season.
For Clark to keep on pace for the award, she has to step up her game and show her growth as a basketball player in just her second season.
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Edited by Brad Taningco
