By Seth Dahle
2018 stats: 22.0 ppg*, 8.4 rpg, 7.1 win shares*, 8.4 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.4 bpg, 1.4 spg*, 52 percent shooting*
*indicates career high
It isn’t an exaggeration to declare Breanna Stewart the best player on the best team in the WNBA this season. In a recent interview, Stewart recognized the MVP award as something that isn’t just earned by play on the court, but wins as well.
Amen, Stewie.
Stewart’s game on paper this season is unprecedented in terms of sheer dominance. Simply put, Seattle would not be the top team in the WNBA without the 6-4 forward on the court, and Stewart is putting up numbers that haven’t been seen in Seattle since Lauren Jackson in 2010, when the Aussie took home league MVP honors en route to leading the Storm to its second championship.
The numbers speak for themselves, but here’s a breakdown of why Stewart has made her case for MVP.
SCORING AT AN ALL-TIME HIGH
Stewart currently averages a career-best 22 points per contest, ranking second in the WNBA. She is on the verge of breaking her own franchise single-season record for 20-plus point games, boasting 21 so far this season.
Points are one thing, but it’s her efficiency that is second-to-none this year. Stewart has fired 20 or more shots just seven times in 2018 – that’s pretty wild if you think about it. She’s shooting a career-best 52.2 percent from the floor, ranking third among players with 400 or more attempts.
SHE’S #WINNING
#StormWins!!!
Look familiar? It should because we’ve seen that a lot this season, 24 times (and counting…) to be exact. Stewart has led the Storm to its second-highest win total (24) in franchise history, including the team’s first semifinal appearance since the league moved to the new format in 2016.
One might think a majority of those 24 wins came in the friendly confines of KeyArena.
That hasn’t been the case.
With an 81-72 win over the defending champion Minnesota Lynx on Aug. 12, Seattle matched the WNBA’s single-season record for road wins at 13.
The 13-4 road record also marks the Storm’s best all-time, and Stewart has been a big part of that, collecting four double-doubles outside of the Emerald City, including a 17-point, career-high-tying 17-rebound performance at Minnesota on Aug. 12.
Win shares (which calculates credit for team success to an individual) are also at all-time high for Stewart, currently at 7.1, the highest mark in the WNBA. While it may be a complicated statistic, it certainly shows just how valuable Stewart to the Storm.
SCORING RECORDS ON HORIZON…
Stewart, a two-time WNBA All-Star, is on the verge of breaking multiple scoring records in the Emerald City.
At 705 points on the year, Stewart needs just to record just 35 more points to break the Storm’s all-time single season record for points, currently held by Lauren Jackson (739, 2007), and she’s one 18-point performance from reaching 2,000 (already) for her career.
Now let’s peek at 20-plus point performances. Stewart has 21 on the season, matching her own single-season franchise record for 20-plus point games. She’s hit the 25-point mark 15 times in 2018, as well as the 30-point tally five times.
ALL-AROUND P.T.P.
We’ve talked a lot about offense so far, but Stewart is unquestionably one of the best (if not, the best) all-around (prime time) player in the WNBA.
In addition to her scoring, Stewart can do it all on both ends of the court. She ranks third in the WNBA in rebounding, collecting eight double-doubles on the season. Stewart is a force defensively, averaging 1.4 blocks (seventh in WNBA) and 1.4 steals per contest (tied for sixth in WNBA).
She’s unselfish on the offensive end and makes players around her better. Amongst players averaging over 20 points per game, Stewart ranks third in assists per game, dishing out 2.5 per affair and boasting six games with four or more.
CONCLUSION
Here’s the thing – winning matters. Whatever metrics are used to decide MVP shouldn’t stem from an individual’s statistics alone. Stewart is bracing the city of Seattle for potentially its third championship in franchise history, and she’s doing so on the best offensive team in the WNBA with a plethora of offensive weapons.