In addition to the first round of the playoffs, we are in the thick of WNBA awards season. Golden State Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase was named Coach of the Year Wednesday, after Paige Bueckers won Rookie of the Year and Valerie Burton won Most Improved Player earlier in the week. Burton received 68 of 72 votes while Bueckers received 70 and Nakase received 53. I understand why the WNBA follows this format with 72 sportswriters casting one vote each, but with expansion rapidly changing the landscape of the league, I want to see awards voting expanded so that each writer chooses their top 3 for each award, with more points for a first-place vote and fewer for a second or third-place vote, like they do for MVP. These awards are about recognizing excellence and generating discussion around the league, and both of those things would be better served with expanded ballots. Burton was the obvious choice for Most Improved Player, but she wasn’t the only choice. As I mentioned in my Playoff Game 1 notes, Naz Hillmon had by far the best season of her career, but she didn’t get any first-place votes. If we had a deeper ballot, she may have received some second or third place votes, and thus some well-earned recognition. With that in mind, I’m going to highlight the players and coaches who won’t win these awards but deserve a mention anyway for a quality season. These are my “others receiving votes,” if you will.

Most Improved Player - Kayla Thornton

I already mentioned Naz Hillmon above, and last month, I made the case for Brittney Sykes for most improved. Instead, I will show some love to Kayla Thornton. Like Sykes, Thornton made her first all-star team this season as a 32-year-old. She averaged a career-high 14.0 points and 7.0 rebounds in 22 games before suffering a season-ending knee injury. As good as Burton was this season, she didn’t really explode until after Thornton went down. Thornton literally only played half the season, and she probably wouldn’t make my ballot if it went three or even five deep, but her unexpected production is a huge reason why the Valkyries made the playoffs in their first season.

Rookie of the Year - Saniya Rivers

Sonia Citron was the only other rookie to receive votes, and Kiki Iriafen, who also was an All-Star as a rookie, almost certainly would have finished third in an expanded ballot. I highlighted Aneesah Morro and Leila Lacan in my Per 36 Minute All-Stars, and my love for Te-Hina PaoPao is well established. Janelle Salaun and Monique Akoa Makani also deserve a shoutout for contributing to playoff teams as a rookie. That being said, Saniya Rivers is fourth in minutes, fifth in points, second in assists, first in steals and first in blocks among rookies. She flew under the radar on a tanking team, but she started 25 games and played 26.1 minutes per game as a rookie while holding her own. That is difficult to do for anyone, but especially for a guard. Casual fans may not be familiar with her game yet, but I suspect they will before too long.

Coach of the Year - Nate Tibbetts

I probably haven’t written enough about the outstanding job Karl Smesko did in Atlanta. His team finished 30-14 after going 15-25 last season, and it is no wonder he finished with 15 votes. But since he finished second in the voting, I will point out that Nate Tibbetts guided his team to a 27-17 record after they finished 19-21 in 2024. With Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner gone, Tibbetts came into the season with only three proven rotation players in Kahleah Copper, Alyssa Thomas, and Satou Sabally. Phoenix got great contributions from the likes of Natasha Mack, Kathryn Westbeld, Lexi Held, Kitija Laksa, and Monique Akoa Makani, and I believe Tibbetts deserves credit for putting those players in a position to succeed.

Defensive Player of the Year - Jordin Canada

Canada has made the All-Defensive Team twice, and if she doesn’t make it this season, it will be mostly because she missed 16 games. Canada finished third in steals per game behind Gabby Williams and Leila Lacan, and she led the league with 0.189 defensive win shares, per WNBA.com. She routinely takes the defensive assignment on the other team’s best guard and makes them work for everything. A guard hasn’t won this award since Sheryl Swoopes in 2003, and if anyone is going to break that streak anytime soon, my money would be on Canada. She just needs to stay healthy first.

Sixth Player of the Year - Jade Melbourne

I wanted to name DeWanna Bonner, but she’s already won this award three times. The last one was 14 years ago, but even so, I feel like she has gotten plenty of recognition, including in my awards article when I mentioned her along with Hillmon, Jessica Shepard, and Natisha Hiedeman. Jade Melbourne is not as good as those players, but she trailed only Natisha Hiedeman and Dana Evans in minutes off the bench this season. Melbourne still needs to shoot the ball better if she is going to be a contributor on a playoff team, but she was an underrated part of Washington’s surprising success this season. She was third in the league in assists off the bench, and as the league continues to expand, solid backup point guards who can make the correct reads and take care of the basketball will only become more valuable.

Executive of the Year - Jamila Wideman

I think my actual vote would go to Nick U’Ren with the Mercury, for surrounding his big three with enough talent to contend, even though none of them were proven coming into the season. Ohemaa Nyanin with Golden State and Cheryl Reeve in Minnesota deserve a lot of credit as well. Wideman gets the nod here for drafting two All-Stars with the third and fourth overall picks, including fleecing the Sky for the pick that became Sonia Citron. Washington played surprisingly well for most of the season before Wideman traded away Brittney Sykes, opting to chase the draft lottery rather than a first-round playoff exit. I wouldn’t have blamed them for staying the course and trying to get some playoff experience for Citron and Kiki Iriafen, but by committing to the rebuild, Wideman put the Mystics in a great position moving forward.

Most Valuable Player - Kelsey Mitchell

The top three in MVP has to be, in some order, Napheesa Collier, A’ja Wilson and Alyssa Thomas. I think I’d have them in that order, but I wouldn’t argue with anyone who felt differently. I think there’s an argument to have Paige Bueckers fourth, considering she averaged 2.0 more assists per game than Mitchell and was arguably surrounded by worse talent even when Caitlin Clark was out. Ultimately, I think I’d have Mitchell fourth in part because she was great next to Clark and shouldering more of the offensive load when Clark was injured. That is no easy feat. Mitchell finished third in points per game, thanks in part to shooting 39.4 percent on 6.4 threes per game. Through all of Indiana’s injuries this season, Mitchell and Aaliyah Boston still dragged this team to the third-best offensive rating in the league. I would not have thought that would be possible with all the games Clark, Sophie Cunningham, Aari Macdonald and others missed this season. Mitchell deserves a lot of credit.