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The WNBA's Most Valuable Player race this season is starting to heat up after Week 3. A'ja Wilson remains the favorite to win the award, but her odds were shortened due to Alyssa Thomas' brilliant campaign leading the Connecticut Sun to an undefeated campaign so far.
Wilson remains a force of nature for the Las Vegas Aces, while Napheesa Collier is still a solid presence for the contending Minnesota Lynx. Kaleah Copper lost some steams after a string of bad scoring performances, while Arike Ogunbowale is the current leader in points per game.
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Let's look at the current WNBA MVP Ladder after Week 3 of the 2024 season.
WNBA 2024 Most Valuable Player Ladder - Week 3
#5 - Arike Ogunbowale | Guard | Dallas Wings
- Last Week's Ranking: #4
- Games Played (Week 3) - 2 GP (0 W, 2 L)
- Average (Week 3) - 21.0 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 6.5 APG, 4.0 SPG, 0.0 BPG
- Average (Season) - 26.6 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 4.9 APG, 2.9 SPG, 0.1 BPG
Arike Ogunbowale did all she could for the Dallas Wings last week, but they still lost two of their games. Ogunbowale remains the leading scorer in the WNBA, barely hanging by a thread over A'ja Wilson.
The Wings star will need to have a huge week to remain in the top five of the MVP ladder. Kaleah Copper had a bad week, so she was unable to crack it. However, if she bounces back this week, there's a chance she could knock off Ogunbowale.
#4 - Breanna Stewart | Forward | New York Liberty
- Last Week's Ranking: #5
- Games Played (Week 3) - 2 GP (3 W, 0 L)
- Average (Week 3) - 14.7 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 4.0 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.0 BPG
- Average (Season) - 17.9 PPG, 9.3 RPG, 3.4 APG, 2.2 SPG, 1.1 BPG
Breanna Stewart did not have the best week last week in terms of performance. However, Stewart's New York Liberty kept on winning and won all of the three scheduled games for Week 3.
The reigning WNBA MVP is doing less but the Liberty continue to win, which means it's been a total team effort for the team this season. It will likely hurt Stewart's chances of winning back-to-back league MVPs.
#3 - Napheesa Collier | Forward | Minnesota Lynx
- Last Week's Ranking: #2
- Games Played (Week 3) - 3 GP (2 W, 1 L)
- Average (Week 3) - 18.7 PPG, 12.7 RPG, 2.3 APG, 2.0 SPG, 1.0 BPG
- Average (Season) - 21.4 PPG, 11.3 RPG, 3.4 APG, 2.5 SPG, 1.8 BPG
Napheesa Collier fell the WNBA MVP ladder this week despite being 2-1. It's because her scoring was down and she lost the battle against A'ja Wilson. She was outclassed by the two-time MVP as the Las Vegas Aces defeated the Minnesota Lynx last week.
Collier remains in contention for the award as long as she remains consistent. The Lynx also have the third-best record in the league, so that will help her case as well.
#2 - A'ja Wilson | Forward | Las Vegas Aces
- Last Week's Ranking: #1
- Games Played (Week 3) - 2 GP (1 W, 1 L)
- Average (Week 3) - 28.5 PPG, 12.0 RPG, 3.0 APG, 1.5 SPG, 4.0 BPG
- Average (Season) - 26.5 PPG, 12.5 RPG, 2.7 APG, 1.3 SPG, 2.8 BPG
A'ja Wilson is still the favorite to win the WNBA MVP based on odds. However, Wilson fell to No. 2 on the ladder because of her team's lack of games. They have only six games in three weeks with a record of 4-2.
The Las Vegas Aces lost six total games in the regular season last year, but already have two in the first six games this season. It also didn't help that the current No. 1 on the list is leading her team to an undefeated record so far.
#1 - Alyssa Thomas | Forward | Connecticut Sun
- Last Week's Ranking: #3
- Games Played (Week 3) - 3 GP (3 W, 0 L)
- Average (Week 3) - 11.0 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 11.0 APG, 1.0 SPG 0.7 BPG
- Average (Season) - 13.8 PPG, 9.6 RPG, 9.0 APG, 1.5 SPG 0.8 BPG
Alyssa Thomas might not be putting up a crazy number of points, but she's doing it all for the Connecticut Sun. Thomas is the main reason why the Sun are the only remaining team in the league without a loss at 8-9.
Last year's WNBA MVP runner-up is making sure that she'll be in the conversation again this year. If she can average a triple-double in a season, she'll likely win her first MVP award unanimously.
