2026 WNBA Awards Odds Watch & Rankings: Mitchell Moves in MVP Race Ahead of All-Star Break

By Cheryl Coward | Jul 23, 2026, 7:58am

The WNBA reaches its final games before the All-Star break with several awards races beginning to take clearer shape. The league’s top players will head to Chicago for Saturday’s All-Star Game at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC.

Caitlin Clark and Kayla McBride enter the break as the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week. Clark earned the first 45-point, 10-assist performance in WNBA history. McBride averaged 28.3 points per game as the Minnesota Lynx extended its winning streak and maintained the league’s best record.

Clark’s surge and another productive week from Kelsey Mitchell have increased the pressure behind A’ja Wilson in the MVP race. Meanwhile, Olivia Miles remains far ahead of the rest of the rookie class, averaging 19.3 points, 6.0 assists and 4.7 rebounds while shooting 49.4 from the field for the hot Lynx. Most Improved Player will therefore remain in place of Rookie of the Year in this awards watch.

This is the ninth installment of a weekly awards watch that will run through the regular season. The rankings are based on current player production, team performance, league context, current standings and the latest power rankings from the WNBA and ESPN.

2026 WNBA MVP Power Rankings

A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces

Wilson stays at No. 1 after Las Vegas returned from a week without a game with a 109-83 victory over Toronto. She led the Aces with 26 points on 11-of-14 shooting while adding six rebounds and four assists. Wilson continues to lead the WNBA with 26.1 points per game while averaging 9.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.6 steals and a league-high 2.0 blocks. She is shooting 53.3% from the field. Las Vegas is 18-8 and third in the standings, giving Wilson the strongest combination of individual production, efficiency, defense and team success. The gap has narrowed behind her, but no other candidate currently matches her complete two-way profile. The four-time MVP also earned her eighth All-Star selection.

Kelsey Mitchell, Indiana Fever

Mitchell moves up one spot after totaling 83 points during Indiana’s last three games. She enters the All-Star break second in the league at 23.3 points per game and has scored at least 20 points in 10 consecutive games.The efficiency separates Mitchell from most of the league’s other high-volume scorers. She is shooting career-best rates of 49.5% from the field and 42.3% from three. Indiana is 17-10, has won seven of its past 10 games and leads the WNBA with 95.5 points per game. Mitchell’s season-long consistency, recent scoring run and the Fever’s improved team context give her the edge for second.

Paige Bueckers, Dallas Wings

Bueckers drops one spot but remains in the top three. She scored 25 points in Sunday’s victory over Los Angeles before missing Dallas’ overtime loss to New York because of soreness following a collision late in the Sparks game. The Wings clarified that Bueckers is not in the league’s concussion protocol. She is averaging 20.9 points, 6.2 assists and 4.2 rebounds while shooting 51.3% from the field and 39.7% from three. Dallas remains fourth in the standings at 18-9 and third in ESPN’s power rankings. Mitchell’s recent surge moves her ahead this week, but Bueckers’ efficiency, playmaking and team success keep her firmly in the race.

Clark made the strongest push from outside the top three after her record-setting performance although she is one technical foul away from an automatic one-game suspension. Clark is averaging 21.0 points and 7.9 assists, but Bueckers’ superior shooting efficiency and Dallas’ slight advantage in the standings keep her ahead for now.

2026 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Power Rankings

A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces

Wilson stays first with the league’s strongest individual defensive profile. She leads the WNBA with 2.0 blocks per game, ranks fourth with 9.5 rebounds and adds 1.6 steals. Las Vegas also leads the league with 5.1 blocks per game and is fifth in rebounding. The three-time DPOY’s combination of rim protection, rebounding and activity away from the basket keeps her ahead of the defenders chasing her.

Gabby Williams, Golden State Valkyries

Williams stays second because Golden State continues to produce the WNBA’s best overall defensive results. The Valkyries allow a league-low 76.4 points per game, more than six points fewer than the next-best team, and are fifth in steals. Williams is averaging 1.7 steals while filling several defensive roles, and Golden State is second in the overall league standings and second in ESPN’s power rankings, giving her the strongest team defensive context among Wilson’s challengers.

Rhyne Howard, Atlanta Dream

Howard stays third and continues to set the pace among the WNBA’s perimeter defenders. She leads the league with 2.4 steals per game and also averages 0.8 blocks while averaging 17.6 points per contest. Atlanta leads all teams with 9.4 steals per game, strengthening Howard’s case beyond her individual numbers. The Dream’s 16-10 record and a three-game winning streak improve the team context, but Golden State’s substantial advantage in points allowed keeps Williams second.

2026 WNBA Most Improved Player Power Rankings

Marina Mabrey, Toronto Tempo

Mabrey stays in the rankings after earning the first All-Star selection of her career. She has increased her scoring average from 14.4 points last season to 21.0, placing her fourth in the WNBA this season. Her improvement is not simply the result of an increased role or more shot attempts. Mabrey is shooting 44.0% from the field and 39.2% from three after making 36.7% and 27.0%, respectively, in 2025. She also leads the league with 3.3 made three-pointers per game. Toronto’s 10-16 record is the primary weakness in her case, but Mabrey’s jump in scoring and efficiency remains the most dramatic among the leading candidates.

Jessica Shepard, Dallas Wings

Shepard moves into the co-lead spot with Mabrey after earning her first All-Star selection, and she is also a starter for the mid-season event. She is averaging 14.9 points, 12.0 rebounds and 5.4 assists while shooting a league-second 59.7% from the field. Wednesday night against Portland, she earned her fourth triple-double of the season and is now tied in second with Sabrina Ionescu for the most triple-doubles in WNBA history. In 2025, Shepard averaged 8.0 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists. She has nearly doubled her scoring, more than doubled her assists and become the league’s leading rebounder. Shepard’s all-around production has been central to Dallas’ rise to 18-9. Shepard has the most complete statistical improvement in the race for MIP.

Carla Leite, Portland Fire

Leite stays third after developing from a promising reserve guard during her first season with Golden State into Portland’s primary playmaker. She has raised her averages from 7.2 points and 2.0 assists in 2025 to 15.3 points and 6.0 assists this season. Leite is also playing 25.9 minutes per game after averaging 17.2 minutes last season. Her field-goal percentage has increased from 38.7% to 43.8%, while her three-point percentage has climbed from 17.3% to 34.5%. Portland’s 11-16 record limits her team context, but the expansion of Leite’s role and the size of her improvement keep her firmly in the top three.

2026 WNBA Sixth Player of the Year Power Rankings

Recently, teammate Salaün’s teammate Williams bragged in a presser that her team was probably the only one in the league with multiple players in the Sixth Player race: “We got to be the only team that has, like, multiple Sixth Player of the Year options. It’s insane.”

She is right.

Janelle Salaün, Golden State Valkyries

Salaün stays first with the highest scoring average among this week’s ranked reserves. She has played in all 27 of Golden State’s games without making a start, averaging 12.8 points and 4.0 rebounds in 22.4 minutes per game. Salaün is making 2.5 three-pointers per game while shooting 39.4% from beyond the arc. Her combination of scoring, perimeter shooting and a clearly defined bench role remains unmatched within the current reserve field. Golden State is 19-8, and the team’s success further separates Salaün from the other leading candidates.

Sophie Cunningham, Indiana Fever

Cunningham stays second after coming off the bench in 23 of her 26 appearances. She is averaging 9.3 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 22.9 minutes per game. Her efficiency continues to stand out. Cunningham is shooting 47.4% from the field and 42.9% from three, giving Indiana reliable perimeter scoring for the WNBA’s highest-scoring offense. Her scoring volume remains below Salaün’s, and her three starts give Salaün the clearer season-long reserve profile. However, Cunningham’s shooting and Indiana’s recent improvement keep her solidly in second.

Kaitlyn Chen, Golden State Valkyries

Chen stays third after appearing in all 27 of Golden State’s games without making a start. She is averaging 7.7 points and 1.9 assists in 14.7 minutes per game. Chen is shooting 57.5% from the field and 42.9% from three. Her minutes and scoring volume remain below those of Salaün and Cunningham, but her efficiency and exclusive bench role keep her in the top three. Having two candidates from the same team could divide attention, but Salaün and Chen occupy different roles. Salaün provides the higher-volume scoring, while Chen has been an extremely efficient option in more limited minutes.

Photo Credit: REUTERS