Race to MVP: June 30
Elena Delle Donne has stormed out of the gates in 2015 and is putting up numbers that place her among some of the league’s all-time greats. She’s yet to regress to the mean and is still the clear favorite atop the list of stars vying to bring home WNBA MVP honors at the end of the year.
1. Elena Delle Donne
Delle Donne’s 40-point game during the first week of the season was already “Performance of the Year” worthy. And then, somehow, she topped that. EDD dropped in 45 points, pulled down 11 rebounds and tallied 6 blocks in Chicago’s win over Atlanta on June 24. She’s scored more points through nine games than anyone in league history and her 29-point scoring average is the best in the league by a considerable margin.
2. Skylar Diggins
Skylar Diggins has been the catalyst for a Tulsa Shock squad that’s sitting at the top of the Western Conference and has tied the franchise record with eight straight wins. She’s averaging 17.8 points and five assists per game and is leading a Tulsa team that’s playing without Odyssey Sims and Glory Johnson. She is, however, dealing with an knee injury that will have to continue to be monitored
3. Maya Moore
Maya Moore is back at No. 3 this week after yet another solid week. The reigning WNBA MVP helped spoil the return of Phoenix’s Brittney Griner on Saturday, scoring 21 points to help lead the Lynx past the Mercury 71-56. She’s sixth in the league in scoring (16.3 PPG) and is averaging jut over six rebounds per game. As we have seen in years past, Moore is capable of breaking out any given night.
4. Angel McCoughtry
Elena Delle Donne was the player whose performance was the topic of conversation this past week, but Angel McCoughtry did her best to match her efforts in the Dream’s 100-96 loss to the Sky. She made play after play down the stretch to get the Dream back into the game and ended up with 34 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. The Dream got back in the win column against the Mystics behind an 18-point, 7-rebound effort from McCoughtry on Friday.
5. Emma Meesseman
The Connecticut Sun have been the early leaders in the Eastern Conference, but Mike Thibault’s Washington Mystics are not far behind. They’ve been paced by the efficient, consistent play of forward Emma Meesseman. Her shooting percentages are consistently above 50 percent each game. In fact, she’s shooting 60 percent from the floor this season. Meesseman is averaging 15.6 points and 6.8 rebounds per game and is third in the league in blocked shots (17).
6. DeWanna Bonner
Phoenix is third in the West and will surely look to make a push with Brittney Griner back in the fold, but the Mercury would not be where they are this season without the play of DeWanna Bonner. She’s been asked to shoulder more of the scoring load in the absence of Griner and others, and she’s answered the call just fine. Bonner is averaging 19.5 points and 7.3 rebounds per game.
7. Alex Bentley
Alex Bentley is more than just a scorer, and she’s letting the league know it in a huge way this season. The third-year Penn State product leads the league in steals per game (3.38). On top of her defensive efforts, Bentley leads the 7-1 Sun in scoring at 16 points per game, and, as head coach Anne Donovan told WNBA.com, she’s doing it all while playing in a different position than she played last year.
8. Lindsay Whalen
Maya Moore and Seimone Augustus are usually the first two names brought up in discussions about the Minnesota Lynx, but Lindsay Whalen has played just as well as of late. She scored 16 points and dished out six assists in Minnesota’s comeback win against Seattle last week, and she followed that up with 21 points in the win against the Mercury.
9. Brittney Griner
Griner returned to the Mercury Saturday and head coach Sandy Brondello wasted no time working her into the mix. The reigning WNBA Defensive Player of the Year started and recorded 14 points and 11 rebounds, as well as her first two blocks of the season. Her return to the Mercury frontcourt is a welcomed addition to a team that’s currently 3-5 and third in the Western Conference.
10. Cappie Pondexter
Cappie Pondexter is a six-time All-Star and a former WNBA Finals MVP. Her talents are recognized and well-appreciated, but she’s bringing more than just buckets to the Chicago Sky this season. Elena Delle Donne spoke highly of the 10-year veteran, calling her an “incredible leader” who seems to “say all the right things at all the right times.” Pondexter is fifth in points per game and scored 23 points in the Sky’s 83-77 win over the Fever on Friday.
Also Considered:
Tina Charles (NYL), Nneka Ogwumike (LAS), Kayla McBride (SAS)