Las Vegas Aces forward A'ja Wilson. Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Aces star A'ja Wilson establishing herself as clear MVP favorite

By Clark Dalton | Last updated Jun 6, 2024 2:23 PM ET

It's still early in the season, but Las Vegas Aces forward A'ja Wilson could easily capture her third MVP after a phenomenal start.

Wilson has averaged 27.9 points per game through seven games, first in the league. According to the Aces' website, the five-time All-Star will set a league scoring average record if she maintains this pace for the rest of the season.

Of course, sustaining this will be difficult, but Wilson is on the right track. In a 95-81 victory over the Dallas Wings on Wednesday night, the 27-year-old forward registered a season-high 36 points, 12 rebounds and six steals, becoming the first player in league history to record this stat line.

Player of the Month ... and Player of the Week ... FOR A REASON

Queen of the Game presented by Dos Caras Tequila#ALLINLV pic.twitter.com/ItjRZwVQkH
— Las Vegas Aces (@LVAces) June 6, 2024

"This is sustainable for A'ja Wilson," ESPN analyst Andraya Carter said Wednesday on "First Take." "She can do it through the WNBA Finals."

Carter added that Aces point guard Chelsea Gray — the 2022 WNBA Finals MVP — has yet to play this season (lower leg injury), making Wilson's run more impressive.

Last season, Wilson lost a close MVP race, finishing third behind Connecticut Sun forward Alyssa Thomas and New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart. One voter gave her a fourth-place vote, so she's using that as motivation.

"Fourth place in MVP voting in a year that I had better than my MVP before is mind-blowing to me," Wilson recently told Boardroom. "So, that right there spoke volumes to me, and that's something that I'm going to always bring up because it doesn't make sense to me. I've got to make it make sense in my mind, and that means to go out there and play."

Wilson is clearly backing up this claim and may carry Vegas to its third consecutive title. As of Thursday, FanDuel lists her as the MVP favorite (-155).

Clark Dalton

Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

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