Back in December, I questioned if the era of forward dominance in the WNBA was coming to an end. As I pointed out in that article, while the best players in the WNBA have been forwards for most of its history, and certainly the last 15 years, the best forwards in the league will all be 30-years-old or older in 2026, and the best young players in the league are almost exclusively guards.

The biggest exception, I noted, was Aliyah Boston. Boston was coming off a season in which she tied for sixth in MVP voting and went toe-to-toe with four-time MVP A’ja Wilson in the second round of the playoffs. When I wrote that article, I thought that Boston wouldn’t seriously contend for an MVP award until Wilson, Napheesa Collier and Alyssa Thomas see their performance slip, either due to age, injury, or both. Now, I’m not so sure.

On Saturday, Boston was named the Unrivaled Defense Player of the Year after leading the league with 29 blocks in 14 games. She also finished third in the league with 7.9 defensive rebounds per game. Additionally, Boston was the only forward to make an All-Unrivaled team; the other five spots all went to guards. For as much as the 3-on-3 format of Unrivaled allowed athletic post players like Boston to rack up stats, it is clear the voters thought guards were the ones driving winning. Boston was the exception. I believe she should be in the MVP discussion this upcoming season.

While there is much to discuss with Boston’s potential MVP candidacy, I want to begin with her defense. I am beginning to wonder if I underrated Boston’s defense. She made the WNBA All-Defensive Second Team last season, but I thought that had more to do with name recognition than anything else. The Fever as a team were exactly in the middle of the pack last season with a 101.8 defensive rating. Their defensive rating was only 1.6 points better when she was on the court than when she was off the court. Boston had an 11.3 net rating last season, but it was almost all on the offensive end, as Indiana had a 108.1 offensive rating with Boston on the court and a 95.2 offensive rating when she was off the court.

It is worth noting that A’ja Wilson’s two worst games in the playoffs both came against Aliyah Boston and the Fever in the second round. That series was probably the first time I noticed Boston’s defense, but that probably isn’t fair.

Boston and Natasha Howard probably deserve a lot of credit for getting Indiana to an average defense. Lexie Hull and Sophie Cunningham are pests who put in a lot of effort, but both were miscast as perimeter stoppers. On top of that, Indiana dealt with myriad injuries throughout the season but they still managed to finish with the seventh-best defensive rating in the league. I don’t think I gave the Fever in general, or Boston in particular, enough credit for that.

That being said, I still think Boston’s biggest impact was on the offensive end, where Indiana finished third in offensive rating despite missing Caitlin Clark for 31 games. Kelsey Mitchell, Aari McDonald, Caitlin Clark  and Odyssey Sims deserve credit for the offense as well, but Boston arguably deserves the most. Only Caitlin Clark had a higher offensive rating for the Fever, though Kelsey Mitchell’s 13.5 differential was slightly higher than Boston’s 12.9.

In terms of overall impact, Boston’s probably was greater even though Mitchell finished (slightly) higher in MVP voting. Indiana’s net rating was 11.3 points better when Aliyah Boston was on the court, compared to 8.4 for Kelsey Mitchell and 6.4 for Caitlin Clark. There is a reason why forwards keep winning MVP awards, and also why I think Boston’s MVP chances are underrated in 2026.

Since winning Unrivaled DPOY, Boston’s MVP odds are up to +5000 on FanDuel, though she is still +10000 on DraftKings. That being said, even on FanDuel I think there could be value. No guard has won the MVP since Diana Taurasi in 2009, but six guards have better MVP odds than Aliyah Boston on FanDuel. You could probably convince me that Caitlin Clark would be the first guard to win MVP in 17 years (more on that later), but Sabrina Ionescu? Kelsey Plum? Allisha Gray? Give me Boston.

Aliyah Boston is entering her age 24 season in 2026. The last two MVPs, A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart, were both 24 when they won their first MVP awards. Maya Moore was 25. Elena Delle Donne and Nneka Ogwumike were 26. If Boston is going to ascend to superstardom, as I would argue she is destined to do, now is about the time it would happen. Boston’s improvement has been incremental through her first three WNBA seasons, but I think the confidence she has gained this offseason playing in Unrivaled as well as Team USA could propel her forward. Boston had career-highs in usage (21.5%), points per game (15.0) and assists per game (3.7). She also averaged her fewest turnovers per game. All of this despite playing with four different point guards and players constantly in and out of the lineup. Indiana had 10 different players start at least three games last season despite Boston, Kelsey Mitchell and Natasha Howard each starting all 44 games.

With that in mind, I think part of Boston’s MVP case in 2026 will depend on her surrounding talent. If Kelsey Mitchell returns, it could be difficult for Boston to score enough to stand out among the other candidates. On the other hand, if Natasha Howard moves on and Indiana replaces her minutes with Chloe Bibby or another floor spacer, that could make it a lot easier for Boston to navigate the paint. I would also like to see Indiana bring back Sophie Cunningham, who was perfect on this team as a low-usage floor spacer and a general pest. It was much easier for Indiana’s stars when they had two such players in Cunningham and Lexie Hull.

All that being said, the biggest impediment to Boston winning MVP next season is probably Caitlin Clark. Clark currently has the best MVP odds despite probably not being the best player on her own team. At the same time, that might not matter. Clark is the most popular player the sport has ever seen, and she has led the league in assists in both of her WNBA seasons. She was seventh in the league in scoring as a rookie and led the league in three-point makes. If she does that again next season, will the voters care if she leads the league in turnovers for a third consecutive season? For her career, Clark is shooting 40.5 percent from the field overall and 32.9 percent on threes, but that hasn’t diminished her popularity or, it would seem, her MVP odds. That being said, if Boston can nearly match Clark’s scoring while providing rebounding and defense at an elite level, she’s going to have a case. WNBA fans and fantasy players should take notice now.