How Caitlin Clark's teammate could dent her WNBA MVP chances

The Indiana Fever are probably going to be a very good team in 2026 if a player other than Caitlin Clark -- or even Kelsey Mitchell -- is nominated for the WNBA MVP award.

How does that work? Isn't Clark healthy again? Is she not still one of the best and most explosive players in the entire league?

MORE: Fever’s biggest concern revealed days before new WNBA season

Clark missed 31 games through injury in 2025, but she won Rookie of the Year honors while placing fourth in MVP voting in 2024. In her absence over the past year, Mitchell stepped up and averaged a career-best 20.2 points per game, carrying the Fever as long as she was physically able and earning first-team All-WNBA honors when the season ended.

With Mitchell and Clark rested and ready for the 2026 season, opposing defensive schemes are going to hone in on the two All-Star guards. That means they may leave openings for the Fever's third All-Star: Aliyah Boston, whom ESPN is tipping to emerge as an MVP candidate in her fourth season.

"Last season, (Boston) was tied for sixth in MVP voting, made her first All-Defensive team, first All-WNBA team and earned a third consecutive All-Star appearance. There's going to be a ton of attention on those two guards and Boston should be the beneficiary," wrote ESPN's Kareem Copeland.

Furthermore, Copeland thinks the relative lack of attention on Boston could lead to the South Carolina product achieving a rare statistical feat in recent years: a double-double average over a full season.

"The 2023 No. 1 pick has never averaged fewer than 8.2 rebounds per game," he wrote. "Averaging a double-double is possible."

In the past four seasons, only Angel Reese and A'ja Wilson have averaged a points-rebounds double-double across an entire campaign. If Boston breaks into that elite club, it will mean a career-best year for the former no.1 overall pick -- and a genuine shot at snatching the MVP award away from Wilson.

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