Olivia Miles is having a breakout rookie season. Still, according to former basketball player Rachel A. DeMita, that doesn't give her a real case for MVP over Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell.

Speaking via her X account, Courtside Club, DeMita explained why Miles' scoring numbers don't tell the full story once you factor in the defensive attention Clark and Mitchell face nightly.

"Olivia Miles has no business at number two in the MVP or the WNBA,” said DeMita. “She is playing well, but she does not have the defense played on her that Caitlin and Kelsey has at any time in any game."

DeMita, via her X account Courtside Club, was careful to separate that stance from the Rookie of the Year race, where she made clear Miles' case remains untouched.

"I think Olivia Miles has been great. I think she is clear unanimous Rookie of the Year this season,” she added. “I don't think there's anyone close to her for Rookie of the Year."

DeMita added that Clark hasn't faced the same defensive siege this year that defined her rookie season, when teams built entire game plans around stopping her.

"People haven't even been guarding Caitlin Clark this year like they did her rookie season: full-court pressure, face-guarding, all of that kind of stuff," DeMita said. 

The debate lands at an interesting time for the Fever, who sit fifth in the league after 40 games.

Mitchell just picked up her second straight Player of the Month award for August, averaging 28.9 points on 55.6% shooting, and the Fever's own X account gave her an MVP shout alongside the honor.

That didn't sit well with a chunk of Clark's fanbase, who flooded the replies insisting she deserved the recognition instead, pointing to a month in which she became the first player in WNBA history to record at least 200 points and 100 assists.

For DeMita, though, none of that settles who should actually win MVP.

Why Rachel DeMita says defense isn't a fair MVP measuring stick

DeMita pointed out in the same X clip that even Clark and Mitchell aren't guarded the same way, given how differently their games are built.

"Kelsey Mitchell has a quicker first step than Caitlin. You don't want to push up on Kelsey, and also Kelsey's smaller. You kind of want to sit back a little bit, or else she will blow by you."

By her own admission, DeMita's argument leaves the MVP race about where it started.

Still subjective, still messy, and still without a clean way to weigh defensive attention against a rookie's raw production.

What are your thoughts on the MVP candidate? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Rudra Dubey