Robert Griffin III ranks Clark first
Robert Lee Griffin III ranked Caitlin Clark first in his WNBA MVP list after Indiana beat Dallas 98-87. Griffin placed Clark ahead of A’ja Wilson, Olivia Miles, Kelsey Mitchell, and Paige Bueckers.
Clark finished with 29 points, 10 assists, three rebounds, and one steal against Dallas. Bueckers also scored 29 points, giving the matchup two leading performances from high-profile guards that night.
Caitlin Clark delivers against Dallas
Caitlin Clark helped power Indiana’s second-half surge against Dallas after the Fever trailed 37-35 at halftime. Indiana went on to win 98-87, improving to 22-12 at the time.
Clark finished with 29 points and 10 assists, giving her a WNBA-record 20th career game with at least 20 points and 10 assists. No other player in league history had recorded more than 10 such games when Clark reached the milestone.
Robert Griffin III defines MVP value
Robert Griffin III separated team value from overall player quality when explaining his ranking. He called A’ja Wilson the WNBA’s best player while arguing that Clark provides Indiana the most value.
Griffin also praised Kelsey Mitchell and said he had no issue with Wilson winning MVP again. His reasoning focused on Clark’s influence through scoring and facilitation rather than leaguewide superiority.
Caitlin Clark averages 22.1 points
Through games completed on August 18, Caitlin Clark is averaging 22.1 points and 8.3 assists per game across 32 appearances for Indiana. The Fever improved to 24-12 with a 101-95 road victory over Toronto.
The Toronto win extended Indiana’s winning streak to 5 games. Clark finished with 24 points and 7 assists after recording 26 points and 9 assists in Indiana’s 95-91 overtime victory over Atlanta 2 days earlier.
Kelsey Mitchell sets scoring record
Kelsey Mitchell is averaging a team-leading 24.3 points per game for Indiana through August 18. She scored 29 points against Toronto to extend her streak to 20 consecutive games with at least 20 points.
The 20-game run extended Mitchell’s WNBA single-season record and tied A’ja Wilson for the longest 20-point streak in league history. Aliyah Boston has also described Mitchell as the team’s MVP while praising her consistent production.
A’ja Wilson sets the statistical bar
A’ja Wilson remains one of the statistical leaders in the MVP discussion. She is averaging 26.1 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game for Las Vegas.
Wilson entered 2026 as a four-time WNBA MVP and three-time WNBA champion. Griffin placed her second on his personal MVP list while still describing her as the best player in the league.
Caitlin Clark makes 40 and 10 history
Caitlin Clark produced a franchise-record 45 points and 10 assists against Seattle on July 17, leading Indiana to a 110-107 victory. The performance became the first 40-point, 10-assist regular-season game in WNBA history.
Clark also reached 200 career three-pointers in 74 games during that Seattle win. She became the fastest WNBA player to reach that mark, passing Katie Smith’s previous pace of 81 games.
Caitlin Clark records fourth triple-double
Caitlin Clark recorded her fourth triple-double on July 31 as Indiana defeated Portland 112-98. She finished with 26 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists while helping the Fever earn a fifth consecutive victory.
The same game made Clark the fastest WNBA player to reach 1,500 career points and 500 assists, doing so in 78 games. Her fourth triple-double tied Sabrina Ionescu for third on the league’s career list.
Clark and Mitchell combine for 50
Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell combined for 50 points as Indiana defeated New York 106-92 on August 11. Mitchell scored 28 points, while Clark added 22 points and 10 assists.
Indiana made 16 of 25 attempts from 3-point range, including 11 of 14 before halftime. The Fever’s hot perimeter shooting helped them build a commanding first-half advantage before closing out the 14-point victory.
Olivia Miles averages 19.9 points
Olivia Miles offered another strong comparison for Griffin’s ranking as Minnesota’s rookie lead guard. As of August 18, Miles averaged 19.9 points and 6.1 assists per game for the Lynx this season.
Minnesota held a 29-7 record through August 17, while Miles shot about 50% from the field, 40% from three-point range, and 88% on free throws during her rookie season overall.
Fun fact: Clark wears No. 22, and fittingly, she recorded the WNBA’s first rookie triple-double in the 22nd game of her career.
Paige Bueckers scores 29 against Indiana
Paige Bueckers matched Clark with 29 points in Dallas’ August 14 loss at Indiana. Dallas fell to 20-15 after the 98-87 defeat, keeping Bueckers among Griffin’s top five MVP candidates.
Bueckers followed with 21 points against Golden State on August 17, although Dallas lost 78-70 and moved to 20-16. She scored 19 of those points after halftime during the comeback attempt.
Caitlin Clark missed four of 36 games
Through August 18, Indiana has played 36 games, and Caitlin Clark has appeared in 32, meaning she has missed 4 games this season.
Clark’s first absence came against Portland on May 20 because of a back injury. She later missed 2 consecutive games with another back issue before returning to Indiana’s starting lineup on July 8. Clark has since continued playing through the Fever’s August 18 victory over Toronto.
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Caitlin Clark has nine games remaining
Caitlin Clark entered August 18 with Indiana at 23-12, leaving nine games in the league’s 44-game regular season. The Fever’s schedule ends September 24 with a road game at Minnesota.
The 2025 MVP vote used a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters, with Wilson receiving 51 of 72 first-place votes. Griffin’s 2026 ranking is a personal analysis rather than an official ballot result.
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Robert Griffin III values Caitlin Clark’s all-around impact, while A’ja Wilson and Kelsey Mitchell bring strong cases of their own. Who would top your MVP ballot, and why? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
This slideshow was made with AI assistance and human editing.
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