We are in the last two weeks of the 2024 WNBA regular season. It’s already one of the league’s most memorable years as it’s quite possibly the most fun and coverage it has had in 28 years of existence. The best part is that the postseason is still on the way.

While it’s in progress, one of the hot topics is the Most Valuable Player of the Year award. The race is heating up, and it’s exciting to see if the leaders maintain their lead, or if someone in the second tier can steal the spotlight, most specifically Indiana Fever’s fabulous rookie, Caitlin Clark, who has taken the league by storm.

First, let’s take a peek at the consensus top candidates:

Nneka Ogwumike – Seattle Storm

Team record: 20-14

Averages: 16.8 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.9 steals, 50.5 FG%, 41.2 3FG%, 87.0 FT%

• 2016 WNBA MVP Nneka Ogwumike is back as a top player in only her first season in Seattle. She’s also entering her “ageless wonder” era as she remains a serious threat on both sides of the floor at 33 years old. The Storm are making a quick return into the postseason with her at the forefront.

Alyssa Thomas – Connecticut Sun

Team record: 24-10

Averages: 10.6 points, 8.7 rebounds, 7.6 assists, 1.6 steals, 50.9 FG%

• Alyssa Thomas is an all-around player that can fit any team, or at least mold her style effortlessly anytime anywhere. Yes, she doesn’t shoot threes, but why complain when she shoots efficiently, rebounds well, distributes the ball, defends the passing lanes, and can play the role of leader and mentor?

Breanna Stewart – New York Liberty

Team record: 28-6

Averages: 20.3 points, 8.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.8 steals, 1.4 blocks, 45.4 FG%, 85.8 FT%

• The 2018 and 2023 WNBA MVP is gunning for her third one. Looking at the numbers and team record, you really can’t argue much because she can affect the game in so many ways. She is an anchor on the best team in the league.

Napheesa Collier – Minnesota Lynx

Team record: 25-9

Averages: 20.6 points, 9.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.9 steals, 1.3 blocks, 49.2 FG%

• NaPheesa Collier has been at the second spot all season long, and even arguably entered no. 1 at some point. She is closing in on having consecutive seasons with 20 or more points per game, and it’s on top of being the Lynx’s leader in boards, steals, and blocks (2nd in ast). Through her play, Minnesota is a top 3 team, and appears to be back as a title contender for the first time since Maya Moore left.

A’ja Wilson – Las Vegas Aces

Team record: 21-12

Averages: 27.3 points, 11.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.9 steals, 2.7 blocks, 52.7 FG% 85.5 FT%

• Well, there’s not much to spill about the consistent leader, who has arguably led the race wire-to-wire. A’ja Wilson is the queen bee of the WNBA, a two-time league MVP, and the face and leader of the back-to-back champion Aces. Wilson has also endured a lot in 2024: the pressure of leading a three-peat run, facing a multitude of defensive schemes specifically designer for her, and the hot-and-cold stretches from her usually reliable teammates, most notably Chelsea Gray, who only has 7.8 points on 40.9% shooting this season, both of which are career lows.True to her talent, A’ja has overcome that and more, with league-leading points, top-notch rebounding, elite defense, and all-around efficiency in her shots.

So, how about Caitlin Clark? Does she fit in all of this?

Team record: 18-16

Averages: 19.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, 8.4 assists, 1.4 steals, 42.3 FG%

Let’s first tackle the case against Clark. One of the key reasons is their team record – should an MVP be only a few games above .500? It would be the worst among all candidates. Another is the turnovers – she has 195, by far the most in the league and a whopping 65 more than the next player.

Spoiler alert: while her case to win MVP isn’t clear (yet, at least), the positives still outweigh the negatives overall. First, only boxscore watchers think her turnovers are bad.

Clark’s maestro-like effect on the court has slingshotted the formerly floundering Fever franchise back into the playoffs for the first time since 2016. They have particularly turned it around since the Olympic break, and are 7-2 in their last eight games, also 16-9 since starting out 1-8.

Individually, she’s setting records left and right: single-season assist for a rookie (23 short of the all-time single-season record), single-game assist, first WNBA rookie to win Player of the Month, and first rookie to record a triple-double (twice now), among others.

Team-wise, meanwhile, she has played a role in the new-found effectiveness of interior big Aliyah Boston and scorer and shooter Kelsey Mitchell, who both struggled to lead Indy to wins before her arrival (all three made the All-Star). Heck, we can go down the line: NaLyssa Smith, Lexie Hull, and Temi Fegbenle have all also shined on their own, thanks in part to their MVP-esque rookie.

Simply put, Clark has a case among the top five at the very least, though how they close their regular season will considerably affect that.