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…