The All-Star Break is right before us, which means we’re at the midpoint of the 2022 WNBA season. We’re actually past the midpoint if looking strictly at games played, and man, HOW?!

This year has been an absolute blur. The Aces got out to their red hot start but also appeared in need of a week off to recoup. The jostling of the top contenders in the league has been an endearing storyline all season, mirrored by the race to maintain playoff position further down the standings.

Minnesota, who once appeared down for the count less than two weeks in, are 4-2 in their last six games and playing stellar basketball. Their offense is humming. A playoff appearance isn’t out of the question, which is remarkable considering how they looked early.

Exciting things have been happening on every team and throughout each roster. The MVP race is intriguing and contested—rookie of the year…closer than you think (more on that later). Role players have made sizable leaps that matter to their individual careers and their impact on team play. 

As an ode to the first half of the season, I dove into a smattering of awards. Both traditional awards were given and some of my own to encapsulate the season thus far! These can and will undoubtedly change up over the backend of the season, and this is just a temperature check and gauge at the moment!

MVP

I want to run through some down-ballot cases quickly before I give my pick. Jonquel Jones and Alyssa Thomas have been fantastic this season, but playing on the same team kind of cannibalizes one another’s case to me. Thomas has been a large part of Connecticut turning defense into easy offense, significantly upping their pace from last season and thriving as really the only consistent rim pressure point for the Sun. Jonquel Jones is a matchup nightmare for 99% of the league. They’re both so good and talented, but raw production probably isn’t quite there from a voter standpoint, leading to a lower draw.

Don’t turn your head too quickly, but the Los Angeles Sparks are kind of figuring it out! 5-2 in their last seven games, playing above-average offense and defense, finding a flow in the halfcourt, communicating, and playing more sensible defense. I’m getting irrationally excited. This team is ridiculously talented, and Fred Williams’ tenure has them moving in the right direction.

Nneka Ogwumike is incredible. She’s a First Team All-WNBA lock for me. Nneka has played consistently dominant basketball this season on either end, the bastion of consistent greatness and the foundation of this team. They’re not even knocking on the door of the playoffs without her play this season. On a personal note, it’s been great to see her healthy after dealing with many injuries last season. 

She’s averaging just shy of 19 points per game (5th in the league) on 63.2% true-shooting, 2nd in the WNBA amongst starters. Her season has gone overshadowed, but if the Sparks continue to find their way, I wouldn’t be shocked at all if Nneka rises up MVP leaderboards, as she’s incredibly deserving. Few impact the game like she does.

Much like with the Sun, it’s hard to pinpoint a candidate from the Sky. I still comfortably say Candace is the best player on the team, but Courtney Vandersloot has been All-WNBA worthy as well amidst another stellar season that shows no deviation from her star standard. 

Kelsey Plum has made THE leap into stardom, is second in the league in scoring, stirs the drink with greater efficacy as a playmaker, and toggles on and off the ball in a way that complements and betters the Aces’ other stars. 

Breanna Stewart’s defense has been otherworldly, and often Seattle’s offense, which has been clunky for much of the year in the halfcourt, has been incredibly reliant on Stewart and Jewell Loyd crafting and making tough buckets. Stewart has done it all and is a substantial reason Seattle is a true contender this season.

I can’t look at this season and say A’ja Wilson isn’t my MVP. On/offs aren’t the end all be all, but her carrying the largest on/off swing in the league (26.7 point difference between when she’s on the court versus when she’s off) is one of the first indicators that makes you go “hmmm.”

That’s partially painted by who replaces her off the bench, but it also indicates her overwhelming impact. So many times this season, I’ve been watching an Aces game and gawked in awe of Wilson’s play and gone, “there goes the best player in the W,” and that is certainly subjective, but that’s also being honest!

The strides she has made defensively this season, something her teammates have largely harped on, cannot be overlooked. She’s gone from a fine defender to a legitimate contender for Defensive Player of the Year. The activity and consistency have ramped up. Her timing and coordination make her an acute stopper. She has incredible range and versatility that few in the league can match at the 5 position, something the Aces tapped into early this season (please do it again).

Her scoring has been unreal and incredibly efficient, as this is her first season shooting above 50% or higher from two. She’s added in distance shooting to make her an even tougher guard for the opposition, taking bigs off the bounce and stretching them to their defensive limits. Her screening and connection in the offense have been substantial this season. With this, the Aces have gotten out to a 15-6 start.

I’ll hear out other cases and understand them for sure, but A’ja Wilson is my MVP at the halfway point, and I don’t have any reservations.

DPOY

1. Breanna Stewart/Candace Parker
2. A’ja Wilson
3. Ezi Magbegor
4. Alyssa Thomas

I find this award perhaps the hardest to hand out, partially because of the varying ways to view and interpret defense!

A’ja Wilson was the runaway winner for me through the first month and a half, but Las Vegas’ defense has tailed off. They started off playing with great activity, staunch and timely rotations and flying all over the place with tact. Their rotations have been a mess over the past two weeks. While this isn’t something I’d put on Wilson, Vegas’ defensive falloff does impact her in the actual awards voting when splitting hairs and trying to pindown the DPOY thus far.

Alyssa Thomas has been so disruptive all season, routinely blowing up plays at the nail or the point of attack. What she did to Allisha Gray last night was WOW.

That’s all ball (probably should’ve been called a jump ball). Her timing and aggression in tandem are unreal.

Ezi Magbegor leads the league in blocks at 2.6 per game, with Wilson just behind her at 2.2, the only two players averaging more than two blocks a game this season in the W. Her events creation is a staple of Seattle’s hard hedge uber-aggressive defensive scheme. Yet, I’d tab Stewart as DPOY over Magbegor due to consistency. While being loud (stocks, steals, and blocks) is essential and sizable in being a good defender, consistency matters more to me when viewing a season-long sample size and gauging impact.

She alters at the rim routinely, completely shuts down passing lanes, and covers various assignments while playing as a rover, covering ground at the highest level in the WNBA. Stewart just takes away so much before it can even happen on-court and does it to a consistent level that I don’t think has been matched by anyone outside Candace Parker.

Look at that, I cheated! I cannot split between Parker and Stewart at the moment. If I had to, I’d probably go Stewie just because Seattle’s defense is better, but I don’t love using that as the sole rationale. Parker and Stewart play a similar brand, but Parker is probably the best switch big in the league, suffocating and stifling drives that she late switches onto. She’s arguably the best ‘Know Your Personnel’ defender in the league, using your spacing or lack thereof against you. 

Seattle and Chicago both play those aggressive two-to-the-ball schemes but also have the versatility to play more straight up. Parker and Stewart are, by my eye, the two best defenders in the W this season, so I’d lean there as we head to the midpoint. 

Sixth Player of the Year

Rebekah Gardner deserves a shout here. Her defense has been All-Defense worthy for me, as she is probably the best chaser in the league, shutting down off-ball scorers routinely for Chicago. She fits perfectly in the offense and makes sense when out there. I’ve loved watching her this year.

Han Xu brings a new look to the New York Liberty as one of the better offensive outlets in the league. Azura Stevens has been sensational in her role (more on her later).

Brionna Jones is an absolute runaway for Sixth Player of the Year. She’s already played enough games off the bench that she qualifies in full for the award even if she started the remainder of the year. 

Jones solidifies the Sun with her ability to glue everything together while also boosting the ceiling. Her offense is vital in the halfcourt, as her post-ups are still one of if not the best consistent look for the Sun, a team that can at times struggle to generate easy looks. Jones doesn’t stop the ball and improves the flow of the offense, she picks her spots to take open jumpers well, and she’s a fantastic screener and roller. She does everything in the offense to loosen the tension and open things up.

Defensively, WHEW. Another player that I’d struggle to keep off of All-Defense. Need Jones to defend in the post? She’s got it on lock. Play out in space to defend a pick and roll just short of the level of the screen? She’s game. Rotating over in help? Good luck getting an uncontested attempt.

Her footwork is impeccable, her hands are active, and she makes the Connecticut Sun better in all facets. 

MIP

Jessica Shepard finally being healthy and displaying her all-around game as a playmaking hub, short roll passer, crafty cutter, and scorer has been wonderful. Ezi Magbegor has gone from fun and exciting rotation player to legitimate starter on a contending team with a budding offensive game and All-Defense weight behind her. Aari McDonald has made some phenomenal strides as a second-year player on an enticing Dream squad that could make noise in the postseason. Lexie Brown and Katie Lou Samuelson have impressed with their career years as they’ve both cemented starting roles in Los Angeles. Azura Stevens has made strides as a consistent outside threat that’s opened up the rest of her game (she showcased some of this post-break last year as well) and would likely start on many a W team. Kelsey Plum has made that sizable leap as mentioned earlier, but last year really felt like her MIP season, and this year has been the continuance of that, parlaying into that MVP discussion. I’d argue she was already in that star range last season, and she was really good!!! 

It’s Jackie Young. 

Young has been a good W player for a few seasons now, but her growth this season has been rather crazy. Young made 22 threes in the first three seasons of her career and has made 28 already this season, canning 45.2% of her 3.3 per game. That extended range and ability to take them not just off the catch but as a pull-up shooter out of pick and rolls has added another element to her game and forces the defense to play differently compared to prior years. Stop going under on Jackie Young ball screens! She’s shooting 45% on pull-up threes this season while taking at least one per game.

Her shift in confidence from deep has of course been a long time coming workwise, but the tangible impact has been relatively immediate this season and can’t be overlooked. She’s the best perimeter defender on the Aces, a viable All-Defense candidate, and her range of coverages is so fun to watch. She guards e v e r y o n e, operating as Las Vegas’ primary stopper on the ball or the most imposing perimeter player on opposing teams. 

Her drives are less stuffed because of her growth as a shooter and the way the floor has now tilted for her, allowing her to get downhill with greater ease, open up her playmaking off the bounce, and give defenses headaches with her blend of strength, power, quickness, and touch. The sheer volume of difficult shots she takes and makes is staggering. A special season for a budding star in the league.

ROTY

*In my best OF impression*

Yo, shout out to all the rookies that worked on the album. Yo, shouts out to Queen Egbo. Shouts out to Henny. Shouts out to Kristy Wallace. Shouts out to Rebekah Gardner. Shouts out to Emily Engstler. Shouts out to Veronica Burton.

In a recent piece, I dove into the top three rookies selected in the 2022 draft and what’s made each stand out in the present and encouraged for the future. Let’s instead focus on the actual arguments for Rookie of the Year.

First and foremost, there are many ways to look at this, and I wouldn’t consider any wrong; this is just how EYE would currently approach it.

Actual winning matters less to me than total impact, but a contribution to winning is part of that impact in a zany cyclical way that sounds hypocritical. Defense is a part of that impact for me as well.

Here’s how I’d have my rookie rankings at present

1. Shakira Austin
2. Rhyne Howard
3. NaLyssa Smith

NaLyssa has really impressed me this season, especially with her willingness to expand her game outside the arc off rip. She’s an exceptional scoring prospect, and some of the other aspects of her game (particularly her passing) have been better than I anticipated immediately. I’d still have her a distant third behind Howard and Austin.

Howard was pretty solidly at the top for much of the early season but has slid down for me over the past month. Her defense has still been imposing, and I’d have her in play for an All-Defensive team at the moment. But, her scoring has nosedived. Part of that is the swath of injuries Atlanta dealt with in June. Part of that is defenses adapting to how Howard plays and making life difficult. It’s hard to overlook 44.9% true-shooting since June 1st (league average is 53.7%), well over half the season.

This is much more about Austin’s continued presence for the Mystics as a play finisher and top-tier defender than Howard’s efficiency struggles.

Shakira Austin is the best defender on the 2nd ranked defense in the league per Her Hoop Stats. On/off stats are finicky, as they aren’t meant to be entirely indicative but instead another piece of the puzzle in determining impact: The Mystics are outscoring opponents by 10.5 points per 100 possessions with Austin on the court and being outscored by 2.9 points per 100 possessions when she sits. Her 13.4 on/off swing puts her in elite company amongst frontcourt players (Candace Parker +14.2, A’ja Wilson +26.7, Brianna Turner +18, Jonquel Jones +12.8).

On/offs are heavily swung by who is or isn’t coming off the bench, but that’s also the point here. Austin is backed up by Elizabeth Williams, a first-team All-Defense member in 2020 who is still a fantastic defensive anchor and rim protector.

Then you factor in Austin’s already incredible knack for bailout scoring. She floats well in space, makes herself available for passes, sets impromptu screens, rolls with grit, and is seemingly magnetized to the ball. So often this season, a Mystics’ set breaks down or is stifled, but Austin ghosts baseline or jets into space on a face cut to open herself up for a rim attack. It’s not technically self-creation, as she gets assisted, but the swift 1-2 dribble drives or post attacks are an outlier in unassisted buckets.

She’s really having a stellar year, as are all three rookies, and I’d understand the case for Howard, but playing a vital part on a contender while being effective on either end gives her the nod from me for now. I’m excited to see how this race concludes over the backend of the season!

Pass of the Year

This is a complete no-brainer. There isn’t a single thing that could happen on the court this year that would force my mind into the type of bewildered, childish giddy amusement I felt when watching this pass live.

In trying to deduce what I would put here, I rotated through a multitude of Chelsea Gray and Johannes clippings, just nodding my head. We have some exceptional playmakers in this league, and the added flair that some of them bring adds another layer to the enjoyment.

Marine Johannes’ audacity as a passer knows no bounds; for that, I am eternally grateful. How do you even contemplate that pass lol? What a fun player.

Bucket of the Year

I need to scream it from the mountain tops yet again: it is ridiculous to me that Kelsey Mitchell did not make the All-Star Game.

She’s one of the most dynamic guard scorers in the league. Her defense has gotten better. Her passing has made a substantial leap this season, by my eyes. Reads she didn’t see or make last season have become routine this year, which deserves much more shine.

I had real questions last season about whether or not Mitchell could take that step to become a legit offensive engine and primary option, and she’s answered those questions emphatically this season. Her growth has been tremendous. She is REALLY freakin good at the hoop and as an all-around basketball player. It’s a shame to me that she didn’t get the nod this year, but if I’ve learned anything from the first 20ish games this year, it’s that Kelsey will make us look foolish for not voting her in as time transpires.

This bucket is Mitchell incarnate. The handle to get to whatever she wants. The pace and guile to do it quickly. The craft around the basket and in the paint. She was shedding multiple defenders like prime Bo Jackson. As the Fever continues to improve, I can’t wait to finally see Mitchell get the shine she deserved for quite some time. 

Most Intriguing Lineup

Is this just my singular opportunity that I added to push an agenda about what I think could be a swing lineup in the playoffs? You freakin’ bet.

The Chicago Sky blast opposition when they play their big triple lineups, including Candace Parker, Emma Meesseman, and Azura Stevens. According to PBP Stats, they outscore opponents by +20.45 points per 100 possessions, sporting a 106.78 offensive rating and 86.32 defensive ratings. That’s unreal.

It’s hard to play all three together for large stretches, as it can mix up the rotations given that they’re the three bigs who comprise the frontcourt minutes, but it’s such an exciting back pocket option that James Wade has tinkered with. 

Stevens has made that leap that doesn’t necessarily appear in the box score, but her consistency has been a boon for this team. The strides she made last year have been exacerbated by her growth as a stable shooter. She can handle well for her size, and she can pass, she has a shot, and her defensive versatility is striking as well: three players who are 6’4 or taller that can dribble/pass/shoot and play cohesive defense together are just so hard to play against.

They reinvent court dimensions with their length and skill on either end, and I’d wager that this lineup trio will decide a playoff game at some point this postseason. Keep your eye on them.

This season has indeed been remarkable and extremely fun so far. On a personal level, I just want to say thank you to all who have read or interacted with my work throughout the past two months! It’s felt like a longer time than that but also like just yesterday. I’m incredibly blessed and fortunate to be in this position, and I love doing it.

If you have any thoughts, questions, suggestions, or general about me, the W, and my coverage of it, please hit me on Twitter (@MG_Schidnler). I’d love to hear from you and get your feedback.

I can’t wait for the rest of this season to unfold. All the storylines that have built up since teams formed in the off-season have been spurred on and continue in varying directions across the league.

Newly hired WNBA reporter Mark Schindler writes a column on WNBA.com throughout the season and can be reached on Twitter at @MG_Schindler. The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the WNBA or its clubs.