Ex-College Basketball Player Breaks Down How WNBA Treatment of Caitlin Clark Hurts Olivia Miles’ MVP Chances

The WNBA is on an unusual break due to the 2026 FIBA World Cup, but the MVP debate is showing no signs of slowing down. With only a handful of regular-season games remaining once the league resumes, A'ja Wilson remains the frontrunner for the award. However, the conversation behind her has become just as interesting, with Caitlin Clark and Olivia Miles emerging as two of the most debated names in the race. But former Old Dominion college basketball player Rachel DeMita believes the difference in how defenses approach them makes the conversation even more complicated.

A fan recently argued on a Courtside Club YouTube video that while Miles has been excellent, she should not be ranked above Clark or Kelsey Mitchell in the MVP conversation because she does not face the same level of defensive attention. And while DeMita agreed with part of that argument, she also explained why using defensive treatment as an MVP metric can get tricky.

"I think Olivia Miles has been great. She is clear Rookie of the Year this season… The kind of defense that we see on Caitlin Clark from season one – Olivia Miles doesn't experience that sort of defense," DeMita replied on Courtside Club in an X post. "And I actually think that 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. I think she's clear unanimous Rookie of the Year."

"But when you're talking about MVP and other awards like that, it would be really hard if we use that metric of 'Oh, they're not guarded the same.' But it would be hard to use that metric when talking about each player because it is subjective. It's always going to be subjective. It's not just one metric."

"Kelsey Mitchell, for example, has a quicker first step than Caitlin. You don't want to push up on Kelsey, and also Kelsey's smaller." she added. "You kind of want to sit back a little bit, or else she will blow by you. And so I agree with you to a certain extent, especially how we saw Caitlin guarded in her rookie season. How we see teams like just lasered in on her. However, it's hard to use that as a metric to how you decide who should be MVP because it just gets kind of sticky," she further added.

Both Clark and Miles have made strong cases in very different ways. Clark has the individual numbers, while Miles has helped lead the Minnesota Lynx to the best record in the league despite entering the season as a rookie. That has naturally sparked a debate over which guard has been more valuable.

The Lynx entered the season with plenty of uncertainty after Napheesa Collier missed a significant portion of the campaign with an injury. Yet Minnesota has remained at the top of the standings, with Miles playing a major role in keeping the team there.

The rookie is averaging 19.7 points and 6.0 assists per game while helping the Lynx to a 31-9 record heading into the break. She also leads the team in both categories. That production, combined with Minnesota's success, has made her difficult to ignore in the MVP conversation, while many considered her a lock for the ROTY.

But Caitlin Clark has the statistical advantage. The Fever guard is averaging 22.5 points (third-best in the WNBA) and a league-best 8.4 assists per game, although Indiana enters the break in fifth place at 26-14.

That is where the defensive-treatment argument comes back into play. If Clark is regularly drawing more aggressive defensive schemes than Miles, it is fair to consider how much that affects the difficulty of what each player is being asked to do. However, DeMita does not believe that distinction can simply settle the MVP debate.

For Miles, that leaves an interesting situation. Her numbers and Minnesota's record have put her firmly in the conversation, but comparing her directly with Caitlin Clark requires more than looking at statistics or defensive schemes alone. With the WNBA season nearing its final stretch, the debate may ultimately come down to how voters weigh individual production, team success, and the different challenges each star faces every night.

Both guards have made strong cases in very different ways. But for many, including WNBA legend Diana Taurasi, the MVP race still appears to be leaning in the direction of Las Vegas Aces star A'ja Wilson.