A’ja Wilson is currently leading the WNBA in points, scoring an average of 27.5 per game while also grabbing 12.0 boards, dishing out 2.4 assists, and catching 1.9 steals in 32 games so far this season. These stats make her a compelling case for the Most Valuable Player award heading into the playoffs.
The Las Vegas Aces forward already has an illustrious résumé, winning two WNBA championships, two MVP awards, and two WNBA Defensive Player of the Year awards.
These accolades spurred women’s basketball legend Nancy Lieberman to liken Wilson to NBA Hall of Famer Tim Duncan in her guest appearance on “The Stephen A. Smith Show” on Monday. When Smith asked Lieberman who she would pick first in a hypothetical draft among A’ja Wilson, Caitlin Clark, Breanna Stewart, and others, she chose Wilson.
“I am taking A’ja Wilson,” Lieberman said. “I’m going to build around her. She’s going to make me a better defensive coach, she’s not going to do anything fancy… She’s like Tim Duncan. I like people who have won championships.”
“The Big Fundamental” is a five-time NBA champion, three-time Finals MVP, and two-time regular-season MVP. He played all his 19 years with the San Antonio Spurs and became an assistant coach for the team in 2019 until 2020.
A’ja Wilson will still need to do a lot more to match Duncan’s accomplishments, but she is well on her way there.
A’ja Wilson looks to build momentum heading into the WNBA playoffs
A’ja Wilson has another opportunity to win her third-straight WNBA title with the Las Vegas Aces. Averaging 34.3 minutes on the court in her 32 games played this season, Wilson had two spectacular games where she scored 40-plus points.
The Aces set an impressive record last year, ending the season with a record of 34-6. Their record dipped this year, going 4-4 since returning from the Olympic break. As the fourth seed in the standings, they’re looking to build momentum as the playoffs draw near.
Las Vegas still have eight games left to play in the regular season, but their 20-12 win-loss record is enough to clinch them a spot this early before the playoffs. Six of their final eight opponents are above .500 in the WNBA team standings, with three of them already securing their playoff spots. A’ja Wilson will have her work cut out for her in these games, but these will only prepare her enough for the challenges she will face in the playoffs.
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