For many, Olivia Miles has long graduated from the Rookie of the Year conversations. With how the Minnesota Lynx guard is performing, analysts Sabreena Merchant and Zena Keita believe Miles can battle it out with A'ja Wilson in the MVP race.

“I think if she can get to 20 points per game, she’s currently at 19.4. 20 is just like a nice round number; that screams MVP. And 20 and 5, to me, is a good number,” Merchant said on Thursday’s episode of their No Offseason podcast.

In addition to her mind-blowing individual statistics, Merchant believes that Miles' MVP status depends on the Lynx's successes throughout the season, with the rookie guard obviously being the main driving force behind it.

Miles is averaging 19.3 points, 5.7 assists, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game, including dropping some highlight performances like 23 points against the Liberty, 21 against the Wings, and a 29-point display against the Aces.

Another argument for Miles winning MVP over Wilson would be head-to-head bouts between the Lynx and the Las Vegas Aces.

Wilson is currently 1-0 up as the Aces beat the Lynx 100-97 last month. However, Miles had a fantastic performance in that game with 29 points and 4 rebounds. But with two more games to be played between the two teams, we never know.

Meanwhile, the Lynx are also in tremendous form, currently holding the best record in the league at 19-6, with Miles leading as the protagonist.

But it is easier said than done to dethrone the four-time MVP Wilson, who might be having one of her best seasons ever at the age of 29.

A'ja Wilson Continues to Collect Accolades

Wilson is currently first in points (25.5) and blocks (2) per game. Moreover, she has also contributed 9.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.5 steals per game.

Wilson has been dominating the league from the get-go this season, as opposed to last season, when she and the Aces rebounded after a slow start to dominate the second half of the season and claim her third WNBA Championship.

For those performances, Wilson was honored with two awards at the ESPYs, held Wednesday night in New York.

Wilson won Best WNBA Player and Best Athlete - Women's Sports for her 2025 season. She overcame the likes of former South Carolina teammate Allisha Gray for the Best WNBA Player award. Other nominees included Napheesa Collier and Alyssa Thomas.

And to nobody's surprise, Wilson is also drafted first in the All-Star game by honorary general manager Teresa Weatherspoon, whose team also consists of Olivia Miles and Caitlin Clark.

While it will be interesting to see how the MVP race plays out between Wilson and Miles, they are teammates for now as we near the All-Star Game on July 25, held in Chicago.

So, do you think Olivia Miles can reach Wilson's level in her rookie season? Let us know in the comments.

Read more at Her Sports Nation!

Written by

Joy Bassy

Edited by

Joy Bassy