The 2024 WNBA season is upon us and it is lining up to be one to remember.
As the season gets underway, A'ja Wilson and the back-to-back defending champion Aces are the favorite to win the title once again. But Las Vegas' pursuit won't be uncontested, as Breanna Stewart and the Liberty are looking to avenge last year's Finals loss.
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The star power doesn't stop with the MVP candidates, as Fever No. 1 overall pick Caitlin Clark is looking to take the W by storm after rewriting the history books during her four-year career at Iowa.
Clark headlines a star-studded rookie class that also features the Los Angeles Sparks rookie duo of Cameron Brink and Rickea Jackson and the Chicago Sky's rookie duo of Kamilla Cardoso and Angel Reese.
Storylines abound for the 2024 season, but we'll have to wait to see how they all play out. Here are my picks for end-of-season awards, the playoff picture and the 2024 WNBA Finals.
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WNBA predictions 2024
MVP: A'ja Wilson, Aces
Last season's MVP race was one for the ages, but there's no denying that Wilson's third-place finish left her with a sour taste — especially that one fourth-place vote she received.
In response to the snub, Wilson averaged 23.8 points, 11.8 rebounds and 2.3 blocks over nine playoff games to lead Vegas to its second consecutive title, winning Finals MVP honors for her efforts. Expect that momentum to carry over into 2024, as the Aces look to make it three championships in a row.
Last year's playoff run was a resounding reminder that Wilson is the league's best player and is still getting better. That alone should propel her to her third career MVP award.
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Rookie of the Year: Caitlin Clark, Fever
Clark enters the W with astronomical expectations. The all-time leading scorer in college basketball history, Clark's shooting, passing and court vision should help her carry the weight of those expectations for Indiana.
Clark's standing as a generational talent makes her the obvious choice to take home Rookie of the Year honors in 2024. And while Clark will almost certainly face a learning curve as she adjusts to the next level, she will shine and benefit from playing alongside 2023 Rookie of the Year Aliyah Boston.
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Defensive Player of the Year: A'ja Wilson, Aces
Wilson will be on a mission in 2024. After taking home DPOY honors in 2023 in a relatively close race, the 27-year-old is in a great position to win the award again as she reprises her role for Las Vegas.
More than just the counting stats, Wilson's presence on the defensive end is nothing short of phenomenal. The strength of Las Vegas' defense depends on Wilson's communication, rotation and rim-protecting abilities, each of which are among the best in the league.
If there were to be a sleeper that challenges Wilson, it could be Brink in a potential breakout rookie year, but her candidacy will depend on team success in Los Angeles.
Sixth Player of the Year: Alysha Clark, Aces
Sixth Player of the Year has essentially become a Las Vegas award, with four of the last five winners coming from the Aces.
Clark will reprise her role from last season for the Aces, setting her up to take home the honor again. The three-time WNBA champion is entering her 12th season in the league, and she has perfected her role on both ends of the floor, as evidenced during the 2023 Finals. There's no reason to believe she can't replicate exactly what she did in 2023.
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Coach of the Year: Noelle Quinn, Storm
Just six years removed from the end of her playing career, Quinn has quickly risen into prominence as a head coach in the W.
The Storm have completely revamped their roster, adding Skylar Diggins-Smith, a former MVP in Nneka Ogwumike and rookie Nika Muhl to a core that features 2023 scoring leader Jewell Loyd and up-and-coming center Ezi Magbegor.
Putting the pieces together on the fly will be a challenge, but Quinn is more than capable of doing so. After winning just 11 games in 2023, Seattle is in a position to make a major turnaround, which would be a credit to Quinn's coaching.
WNBA playoff predictions 2024
- Las Vegas Aces
- New York Liberty
- Seattle Storm
- Connecticut Sun
- Dallas Wings
- Indiana Fever
- Minnesota Lynx
- Atlanta Dream
- Phoenix Mercury
- Chicago Sky
- Washington Mystics
- Los Angeles Sparks
Despite the transformational offseason for the WNBA, no teams have done enough to surpass the Aces or Liberty. The 2023 finalists should be expected to finish atop the standings for a second straight year.
Las Vegas dominated the 2023 season and should do the same in 2024 with Wilson, Chelsea Gray, Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young again leading the way.
Yet while the stars remain the same, the Aces will be a noticeably different team. After the retirement of Candace Parker, Kiah Stokes will have a larger role from Day 1, while Kierstan Bell and rookie Kate Martin may be expected to step into bigger supporting roles.
New York returns its starting unit of Sabrina Ionescu, Jonquel Jones, Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, Breanna Stewart and Courtney Vandersloot, and those five now have a year of playing together under their belts. They'll be on a mission after a bitter end to their first season together.
Seattle has rebuilt its franchise and should be ahead of schedule with Diggins-Smith and Ogwumike joining Loyd. Connecticut is a year older but still one of the league's most talented teams, while Dallas may stumble out of the gates in the absence of Satou Sabally, who is eying a post-Olympic return to the lineup.
The Clark-Boston pairing will be enough to get Indiana back to the postseason for the first time since 2016. Minnesota's busy offseason should keep them in the playoff hunt, but Phoenix's moves won't be quite enough to get things done, though teams 7-10 in these projections could shuffle as the season gets going.
WNBA Finals prediction: Aces over Liberty
The WNBA's 40-game regular season is a marathon, but Las Vegas and New York again seem to be on a collision course.
While several teams have upgraded their rosters, it's hard to envision any team defeating the Aces or Liberty in a best-of-three or best-of-five series. When the Finals roll around, expect another classic battle between the superteams.
Last year, the Aces won the title despite injuries that held Gray, Parker and Stokes out of the series-clinching game. This year, New York will have much more chemistry on their side, but that should be neutralized if Las Vegas is at full strength.
No team has won three WNBA titles in a row since the Comets did so during the league's first three years of existence. The Aces' 2023 title placed them in the pantheon of all-time great teams. This year, they'll enter another realm of all-time greatness with a three-peat.