WNBA: Lynx’s Smith, Sun’s Carrington contend for Most Improved Player

Among the best women’s basketball players in the world, who are always getting better, which players demonstrated the most improvement in the 2024 WNBA season?

Is it a returning candidate who has elevated her new team into contender status by raising her level on both ends of the court? Could it be her teammate who has shown steady improvement over the course of her career, blossoming into a more consistent offensive contributor in her sixth season? Or, should the honor go to a player who has emerged as an essential element of one of the league’s best defenses, all while also increasing her offensive production?

Josh Felton outlines the argument for the Minnesota Lynx’s Alanna Smith, Chlesea Leite makes the case for the Lynx’s Bridget Carleton and Edwin Garcia puts forth the facts about the Connecticut Sun’s DiJonai Carrington.

Alanna Smith (Minnesota Lynx)

Rarely will you ever find a player go from shooting below 30 percent from 3 to shooting well above 40 percent from three in one season. Yet, this is how Alanna Smith has completely transformed her career and play style in just one offseason.

Smith has become the premier stretch five in the WNBA, providing an added level of fluidity and versatility to the Lynx offense. She’s also a much improved passer this year and is tremendous in both the short roll and initiating delay action for Minnesota. In last week’s game against the Indiana Fever, Smith’s incredible outside shooting and connective passing posed too many problems for the Fever defense to solve.

In addition to her improved shooting and passing, Smith has emerged as one of the best defensive centers in the league. Despite being relatively undersized at her position, Smith has managed to help anchor the one of the best defenses in the league with her timely rim protection and helpside defense, both of which have helped bolster Minnesota to heights previously not seen in the League Pass era of the WNBA. According to pbpstats, teams are shooting eight percent worse at the rim when Smith is on the floor. The team goes from the best defensive efficiency in the league to fourth when she in on the bench.

Prior to Collier’s foot injury before the Olympic break, the Lynx had the best relative defense in WNBA history. That number has dropped off a bit since then, but the Lynx still have the best relative defense in the league this year and none of that would be possible without Smith’s All-Defense-level impact. — Josh Felton

Bridget Carleton (Minnesota Lynx)

Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images

Another Minnesota Lynx? I feel like this team gets the Most Improved award. Bridget Carleton, in particular, has been such a joy to watch this season. Putting my Canadian bias aside, she’s just been solid, dependable and energetic on both sides of the basketball.

Back when the Lynx travelled to Canada in 2023 for the first WNBA Canada Game, head coach Cheryl Reeve had many good things to say about Carleton. Notably, Reeve mentioned that she trusted Carleton immensely, and always knew she would get energy and effort from Carleton when she called her number. That was back when Carleton was a role player coming off the bench. Now, she has transformed as a starter for this team in 2024. She has started in 32 of the 35 games she has played this season, shooting 43.2 percent from 3-point range and 44.6 percent from the field.

She went from scoring 3.2 points per game in 2023 to 9.5 points per game this season. She has also had some big performances, scoring 23 points on 6-for-8 shooting from 3 to help the Lynx win the Commissioner’s Cup in June. Having ANOTHER player who can get a bucket behind Napheesa Collier, Kayla McBride and the Lynx’s other big scorers is huge. It’s something opponents have to think about when planning to defend this team. Leave Carleton open, and she’s gonna cook.

That increased offensive impact, in addition to her continued lock-down defense, is why I think she should be in the MIP conversation. — Chelsea Leite

DiJonai Carrington (Connecticut Sun)

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