With around two weeks left in the 2024 WNBA regular season, the Rookie of the Year debate has continued to rage on. Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark appears to be leading the pack. However, her college and now professional rival Angel Reese has also made a solid argument to be the frontrunner.
Former Los Angeles Lakers champion Mychal Thompson has a different award in mind for Clark, though. He posted on X (formerly Twitter) his reasons why the rookie phenom should be MVP.
Checking Clark's case
Thompson made several compelling points about Caitlin's MVP candidacy, with arguably his strongest rationale being the fact that the Fever are pushing for a playoff spot after failing to qualify in the previous seven seasons.
Things looked bad early on for Indiana, which stumbled to a 1-8 record to start the campaign. But Clark displayed her transcendental skills and leadership to lift her squad to playoff contention by helping it win 16 of its past 24 games.
As "Sweet Bells" also mentioned, the 22-year-old's generated points (via her own scoring and assists to teammates) rank highly in the league. Saying that she is the best guard at the moment might be a contentious point, though, considering that Jackie Young, Sabrina Ionescu, and Jewel Lloyd are having impactful seasons themselves. Still, it's worth noting that Clark leads the WNBA in assists and all guards in rebounds this year.
League viewership has soared partly because of the University of Iowa product, a testament to her greatness. This has also led to people likening her influence in the WNBA to Julius Erving's in the ABA .
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Joining Candace Parker in the record books?
It's still highly unlikely that Clark will bag MVP this season. The odds are already against her because the last time a guard secured the prize was in 2009 when hoops legend Diana Taurasi won her lone MVP award. She is also battling against strong and deserving candidates A'ja Wilson, Napheesa Collier, and Ionescu.
However, it would be quite the story if Clark garners enough votes to become the first rookie MVP since Candace Parker in 2008. The young floor general's first-year numbers are comparable to that of Parker, who also lit up the box score almost every night. But what buoyed the three-time champion's MVP case then was that the Los Angeles Sparks had a solid record in the standings.
Perhaps if Clark can steer the Fever to win all of their remaining contests, more voters would lean toward her when the ballot opens.
Related: "I'm not always used to being wide open sometimes" - Caitlin Clark explains why she is shooting poorly from the 3-point line
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