WNBA MVP Power Rankings: A'ja Wilson Picks Up Where She Left Off as Season Reaches First Quarter Mark
One quarter of the season in, the league's top performers start to emerge in the first edition of WNBA MVP Power Rankings.
The WNBA has went through a quarter of the 2026 season and the MVP race has started to take shape. As we have been accustomed to A’ja Wilson, Napheesa Collier and Alyssa Thomas battle it out the past couple of years, this season has shown us new faces who have entered the conversation and helping elevate their teams.
1. A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces (Previous ranking: N/A)
2026 stats: 25.1 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 2.7 assists
Since opening night through the first quarter of the season, no one has sustained a higher level of play than A’ja Wilson. The four-time MVP won Western Conference Player of the Month for May and has been dominant on both ends of the floor this season. Wilson is averaging 25.1 points (52.0 FG% 54.5 3PT%), 9.4 rebounds, and 2.7 assists while adding 2.3 blocks and 1.1 steals per game. Wilson currently leads the league in blocks, ranks second in scoring, and sits seventh in rebounding.
Wilson is averaging a career high in points per game and expanding her range on the court, attempting a career-high 2.2 three-point attempts per game. She is making 54.5 of the shots beyond the arc.
The reigning WNBA Finals MVP wanted the team to start the season off better than last year, where the team started 5-5 after the first 10 games. They have done that and Wilson’s defensive impact while carrying a significant responsibility on the offensive end continues to separate her from the rest of the field. The Aces have won three consecutive games and to improve to 7-3 and have been impressive on the road, where they own a 6-1 record.
Wilson is the frontrunner in the MVP Power Rankings until someone can take it from her.
2. Olivia Miles, Minnesota Lynx (Previous ranking: N/A)
2026 stats: 17.2 points, 6.4 assists, 5.0 rebounds
The Minnesota Lynx selected Olivia Miles with the No. 2 overall in the 2026 WNBA Draft and she has outperformed the most optimistic expectations so far this season. Miles is averaging 17.2 points, 6.4 assists, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game while shooting an efficient 51.9 percent from the field and 34.4 percent from three-point range.
Miles has immediately become one of the league’s most dynamic playmakers. Her ability to control pace and knowing when to use it is very advanced to be in the first 11 games of the season. A true pick & roll maestro creating for teammates, manipulating defenses and making advanced reads has transformed Minnesota’s offense. Her vision is exceptional, threads passes with either hand, delivering from any angle. Then when you lose focus anticipating her pass, she’ll score on you.
Perhaps most importantly, the Lynx are winning. Minnesota owns the league’s best record at 9-2 and enters the week with a seven-game winning streak. When the best team in the league is led by a rookie producing at an All-WNBA level, that player deserves serious MVP consideration.
Cheryl Reeve also deserves a ton of credit for what she done with this team. One of her most impactful decisions was moving Courtney Williams to shooting guard and entrusting rookie Olivia Miles with starting point guard duties on day one. Reeve has navigated adversity all season. The Lynx lost several key contributors from last year’s 34-10 squad, suffered the season-ending loss of Emma Čechová, and have also spent the season without Napheesa Collier and Dorka Juhász. Despite those challenges, Minnesota sits at the top of the league with a special rookie in Miles and veteran group.
3. Paige Bueckers, Dallas Wings (Previous ranking: N/A)
2026 stats: 18.3 points, 6.2 assists, and 3.6 rebounds
Paige Bueckers continues to prove she belongs among the top players in the league and this year she is showing that she is among the very best.
The second-year guard is averaging 18.3 points, 6.2 assists, and 3.6 rebounds while shooting 49.3 percent from the field and 40.9 percent from beyond the arc. She currently ranks ninth in scoring and eighth in assists, showcasing the balanced offensive game that made her the Rookie of the Year.
Bueckers is averaging a career high in assists as she made the move to the point guard position a few games ago and has thrived in creating opportunities for her teammates. In Bueckers previous game, she dished out 14 assists and only had one turnover. Bueckers is the ninth player in WNBA history to record 14 assists w/ one or fewer turnovers, tied Arike Ogunbowale’s franchise record for most assists in a game and recorded her third points-assists double-double of her career. Bueckers is also averaging a career high in field goal percentage, three-point percentage and three-point attempts as she wanted to take more shots from three-point range this season.
Being an All Star and All-WNBA Second Team as a rookie set a high standard early in Bueckers’ career and she has built on it. She looks even better this season, visibly stronger after adding muscle to her frame and took a clear step in leadership. Where last season she was finding her place and trying not to step on toes, this season she has become more vocal as a leader of the team. The growth in leadership and improved talent has carried the team to the best start in franchise history since becoming the Dallas Wings.
Bueckers is reshaping the direction of the Wings, leading the team in points and assists. The franchise has already reached seven wins through its first 10 games and currently owns a four-game winning streak, its longest since the 2023 season. Dallas needed 24 games to reach seven wins last year.
Bueckers’ poise, efficiency, and ability to elevate those around her have made her one of the most impactful players in the league and a legitimate MVP candidate.
4. Kelsey Plum, Los Angeles Sparks (Previous ranking: N/A)
2026 stats: 25.5 points, 6.4 assists, 2.4 rebounds
Plum has been the most explosive scorer in the WNBA, leading the league with 25.5 points per game while adding 6.4 assists and shooting an incredible 58.7 percent from the field and 44.0 percent from three-point range. She also ranks fifth in assists, highlighting her value as both a scorer and facilitator.
Individually, Plum’s production has been spectacular. She is averaging a career high in points, assists, field goal percentage and three-point percentage. Sparks identified championship experience when adding talent this offseason with the additions of Nneka Ogwumike, Ariel Atkins and bringing back Dearica Hamby. With a more veteran-led supporting cast around her, Plum is having the best start to a season in her entire career.
However, MVP discussions often include team success, and that’s why Plum trails the players ahead of her. The Sparks currently sit at 5-6, making her the only player in the top four whose team is below .500. If Los Angeles begins climbing the standings, Plum has the statistical profile to make a serious push up to rival A’ja Wilson for the top spot.
Plum has played in 8 of the Sparks 11 games, missing three games due to ankle injury. Sparks are 4-4 with Plum this season with a 113.1 offensive rating and shooting 49.6% from the floor, 1-2 without Plum with a 101.7 offensive rating and shooting 40.6% from the floor.
5. Allisha Gray, Atlanta Dream (Previous ranking: N/A)
2026 stats: 19.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists
Allisha Gray rounds out the MVP power rankings, fresh off winning Eastern Conference Player of the month for May.
Gray has quietly put together one of the strongest seasons of her career, averaging 19.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.1 steals per game. She is averaging a career high in scoring and shooting 42.9% from the floor. Gray currently ranks sixth in the WNBA in scoring and has helped lead Atlanta to a 7-3 record.
Her season has unfolded in two distinct stretches. Through Atlanta’s first six games, Gray averaged 21.7 points while shooting 46.9 percent from the field and 34.2 percent from three-point range. Over the last four games, her scoring has dipped to 16.8 points per game on 35.3 percent shooting and 31.8 percent beyond the arc.
The encouraging sign for Atlanta is that Gray’s defense remains solid and her assists doubled during that stretch, helping offset some of the decline in her efficiency by creating more for other teammates.
Even after Gray’s hot start to the season has cooled off just a bit, she remains the Dream’s offensive engine and a major factor to the team’s early success after a a great offseason building their roster.
Next three:
Breanna Stewart, New York Liberty
Jessica Shepard, Dallas Wings
Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever
The MVP Race Begins
A’ja Wilson opens the power rankings off as the MVP favorite one quarter into the season, but the players behind continue their strong performances.
Miles has taken the league by storm being the primary playmaker for the league’s best team in her rookie year. Bueckers has helped lead one of the WNBA’s biggest turnarounds. Plum continues to post NBA 2K stats helping the Sparks find their way and Gray has helped the Dream remain among the top of the standings.
With most of the season still to play, the MVP has just begun. But through the first quarter of the year, these five players have separated themselves from the pack.