Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images
Perhaps not even Caitlin Clark’s biggest fans would have expected her to finish in the top five in WNBA MVP voting before her rookie season, but now that the playoffs begin Sunday, she is focused on team goals.
“I mean, it’s cool,” she told reporters when discussing her fourth-place finish in MVP voting. “But at the same time, I don’t really care.”
Matthew Byrne @MatthewByrne1
Caitlin Clark on receiving the fourth most MVP votes: “I mean, it’s cool. But at the same time, I don’t really care.” pic.twitter.com/qM0LJR3K25
Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson took home the award by unanimous decision, while Clark finished fourth behind Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart:
NBA @NBA
A’ja + M’VP 🏆
It’s all coming together. The game is being redefined game by game. Congratulations, A’ja Wilson!
26.9 PPG | 11.9 RPG | 2.3APG | 1.8 SPG | 2.6BPG
2024 @Kia MVP of the WNBA #KiaMVP pic.twitter.com/c9d4n8NTRl
James Boyd @simons_simons
Just came in from the #WNBA:
Aces superstar A’ja Wilson has been unanimously named league MVP, her third MVP title overall.#IndianaFever Rookie Caitlin Clark finished fourth in the MVP voting.
List:
• A’ja Wilson
• Necklace by Napheesa
• Breanna Stewart
• Caitlin Clark
• Alyssa Thomas pic.twitter.com/K7ogpv7csh
Wilson was unbeatable this season, delivering a brilliant performance that earned her the third MVP award of her illustrious career. She averaged 26.9 points, 11.9 rebounds, 2.6 blocks and 1.8 steals per game and shot 51.8 percent from the field.
She also has became the first player in WNBA history to score 1,000 points in a single season.
Clark was incredible this season too, averaging 19.2 points, 8.4 assists, 5.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 41.7 percent from the field and 34.4 percent from beyond the arc, leading an Indiana franchise that went 13-27 last season to the playoffs.
With her ability to lure defenders deep behind the three-point line and assist them, the rookie also improved the play of teammates like Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston. The future looks bright for the Fever, even if a first-round clash with the Connecticut Sun is rather daunting.
And Clark is at the heart of that future.
Her scoring percentage is only expected to improve as she gains more experience at the WNBA level, and she proved in her rookie season that she can play a big role in games both scoring and passing.
Perhaps there will be MVPs waiting for them in the future, although the presence of stars like Wilson and Stewart may make that difficult.
For her part, however, she is focused on taking Indiana to new heights as a cornerstone of the franchise.
