Transcript of GOOD FOLLOW - Will A’ja Wilson Or Napheesa Collier Win MVP? Who To Watch For The End-of-Season Awards.

You're listening to DraftKings Network. Hey, what's up, you all? Welcome to Good Follow Show, presented by DraftKings. I'm Roz Gold on Wood A, and that is five-time WNBA All-Star. And the birthday girl, Angel McAutry is back again. What's up, Angel? How was your birthday celebrations?

Man, so much fun. Had dinner at Tau. Shout out to Cromwell's advisors. You showed up. I pulled up.

I had to pull up on you for the celebration. Celebrate your birthday. You look so beautiful.

Thank you.

We have fun. Yeah, no. Absolutely. We had a time. We're about to have a time on this show. We've got a full menu for you today. I can't believe we are already at the end of the regular season because today's show, what we are talking about, we are discussing all of the end of season awards and the candidates as well, and all the cases people have. So damn, time flies, but here we are in award season. Yeah.

And you guys can like, follow, subscribe, share your comments. We love hearing your comments. Check us out Tuesdays and Thursdays, guys.

Absolutely. Okay, Angel, I know it was your birthday yesterday, but I'm sure your phone was because with all sorts of notifications, you had a clip from our show that went viral. So is there anything you want to say to the audience about it?

Guys, what are we mad about right now? Why is everybody mad about this? If somebody offered you 10 grand today, you're going to take it. So stop this hypocritical behavior, number one. Number two, has athletes never gifted their teammates before? I've seen Shaq gifted D-Way when he was in Miami, a car. You know what I'm saying? The quarterback, they gift their O-line to show appreciation to protect the quarterback. What are we saying here, guys? It's okay. I didn't say she had to do it. It was a suggestion. It's another way to invest in women's sports. Why not? And I said if the brand wanted to give her an extra 100K, and then she could gift her teammates if she wanted to ask for it. Guys, what are we mad about? I want us to really think about this right here. We're mad at giving. Let's move on, Ross. I don't know. What do you have to say about that, though?

No, I feel like if the audience didn't necessarily agree with your strategy or suggestion, that's cool. But I think overall, what's important for me is we spoke about the Chicago sky and Angel Rees for 18 minutes. And if you actually watch the entire conversation, which I'm not sure that everyone did, and I think that would be fair to do for us. I stand 10 toes down that we had a conversation that was objective. It was nuanced discourse on the situation. We reported on the Chicago sky and their staff's role in creating this situation. And as far as Angel, I think the tone of the conversation was very nurturing and thoughtful and supportive of Angel, but also constructive. And so what I do want to say is a message to everyone who pulls up to Good Follow show. I know Angel is relatively new here, but we started this thing up or relaunched it in January. Actually, the show is pretty new. But Good Follow is not a fan account. We don't cater to any fan base, school, team, player. And I hope you really love that because when you come here, you can count on this show being a show that is no agenda, agenda free.

You can come here and count on energy, preparation, creativity, objectivity. If a player plays good, I'm going to say it. If a player plays bad, I'm going to say it, respectfully and fair. And if there is a situation in the WNBA or in the larger women's sports ecosystem that requires a nuanced discussion about it. We're going to do our best to tackle it on and discuss it in a professional and a respectful way. I hope you come here and love that about this show, for real. We appreciate the feedback and the comments and the engagement. Keep it constructive because we do try to check it out and be better for the next time. We're going to keep working hard to bring you a great show every Tuesday and Thursday. So subscribe, like, comment, all the things. But for real, we truly appreciate you all, and certainly we hope you receive us in the right way to understand where it's coming from.

Beautifully said. Drop the mic, Ross. All right, let's get going.

All right, let's Let's get to it. Let's get to it. We got End of Season awards. Okay, so the MVP race, we're going to start right at the top with it. It literally went from we have a favorite to an all-out horse race where it's coming down to the finish line. At the All-Star break, Nafisa Khalir was the clear MVP favorite with minus 700 in the odds, and then followed by Alyssa Thomas for plus 700, and then Brianna Stewart at plus 2000. Asia Wilson wasn't even in the top three, you all. God. So, Angel, let me just set this up. This is something that I think is very interesting. August second, 2025 was a fateful day. Do you know why?

Why?

Okay, that was the day the Lynx beat the Aces by 53 points. Oh my God. And nothing was the same. Nothing was the same from that moment on. Let me tell you why. Okay. Nafisa Collier had been dominant for the first part of the season. Mvp front runner, and the Lynx were comfortably top of the League. On August second, she was playing in the game against the Lynx. They're up big. Some people are like, why was she in the game so late still with them up so big? That was controversial. Late in the third quarter, she hurts her ankle. So It might have cost her the MVP. Think about it. It opened a door. Fee went on to miss seven straight games from that game. She missed 10 total. During that time, Asia Wilson, Alyssa Thomas are breaking records after records each game. Let me show you the other side of that. August second, 2025, the Aces get beat by 53 by the Lynx. So this is the same game. This same game sealed so much fate. The Aces were 14 and 14, sitting 500 A lot of people were saying, You know what? They're out of it this season.

Instead, that was their rock bottom moment. And from that day, they have never lost again. Oh my God. They won 15 straight From that, August second, 2025, including for win number 13 straight, a head-to-head matchup with the Lynx, who remember on August second, 2025, beat them by 53. Guess what? The Aces won for win 13 straight. In fact, Asia Wilson had 31 points on 80% shooting. I mean, they climbed as high as number 2 in the standings. They now sit at number three. And look at how the world comes at you fast. Asia is actually up in the odds for MVP right now. It's just crazy how that day was so pivotal to this conversation of MVP. And so look, fee was dominant up top, but Asia has been on a heater for the second half plus of the season. Alyssa Thomas continues to rewrite the Assist and triple-double record books. So just for you, as a player and also now as an analyst, what's important for you as you evaluate an MVP?

To me, what an MVP is, number one, a leader, a person who makes their teammates better, who gets their teammates involved. They know how to bite and win. That's what Asia did. I mean, after that 53 point loss, you heard the quote she said. She said, This This is not Ace's Basketball. This is not who we are. And they listened, they bought in. Now, I'm not going to count out fee. They both have similar stats, which makes it very hard. It could be a twin cost, but this win streak right here is... That's what's giving it away, guys.

I just was thinking about the fact that that day was so pivotal in the conversation because it really changed the trajectory of what Fee was doing and opened the door for everyone else. You look at Asia right now, she could be trying to get her fourth MVP. That's never been done before. Mind you, if she wins this MVP, Asia's actually, talk about a body of dominance. She could have had five MVPs as far as the conversation she's been a part of and at the top four. But she's won three. She's had 13 30-point games. So on top of that, just the amount of dominance at the highest level, nobody's touching that. That statement game against the Lynx was pretty dominant, 31 on 80% shooting. This is a body of work. This isn't just something that just happened. This is all season. She's leading the league now in points, in blocks, second in rebounds. Now, if you go to the other side for Fee in her credit, Fee is 0. 4 behind in points per game than Asia. We're talking about... She's number two in scoring, but it's this small. It's right there. Fee is And so third in the league in steals, obviously plays both sides of the court.

In leading the best team in the league and the top team in the league, she's also managed to have personal best this season, career highs in points, blocks, field goal percentage. And it's her impact on both ends. I think Fee's defensive presence on the number one defense in the league is really important. And one thing I'll say about Fee's case, I don't like penalizing her because her team won without her. They went seven and three without her. That just means that they're well coach, Coach Reeve's Coach of the Year case, and also that they're talented.

I just think this win streak for me, Ross, it's something about that. And do you know how hard it is to score 30 points? People take it for granted because you're so good and you make it look easy. But that is one of the hardest things to have consecutive 30-point games. That's hard to do.

At the center of what this turnaround for the Aces, who for a second there, Becky was questioning their... We're not just talking basketball. She was questioning their heart. She was questioning their head. This was happening publicly in the media. You just felt like, You know what? There's been too much erosion of the Aces over the year. They've lost coaching staff members. They've lost key players over the years. The new players were trying to figure out what the fit is, and they struggled defensively. In this win streak, they've been better defensively. They've been better rebounding. The team has also also risen to the occasion, but this is very much centered around the dominance of Asia Wilson and her defiance and fire. I do want to make sure we mention Alyssa Thomas, who I think is the next closest person in the MVP discussion. She has, again, rewrote the triple-double record book. I mean, she's breaking her own records, including recently the fastest triple-double ever. She has eight... Yes, the fastest one ever done in a game. She just barely got it, but she got it. Eight triple doubles this season, which is the most in a season.

Child, she is number one in assists as a forward, and it's not even close. It's 9. 3, and the next highest is Courtney Williams at 6. 2, and all of the other top assist makers are around six. She's at nine. If you have just followed the season for the Phoenix Mercury, just all the injuries they had and all the less experienced players that they've been leaning on, she has carried them through that. And also she's number four in Steels. So Alyssa Thomas has been incredible as well.

Yeah, she has to inch and get one of these years because she does deserve it. And every team she goes to, she just takes them to another level. I mean, who's a forward is number one passer. It's so special, so unique. That's why we call her the Point Forward. But her time is coming. It has to.

There's no doubt about it. Yeah. It's crazy. This might be her best season yet. And she's She was like a vet-vet, and she spent the first 11 seasons of her career with Connecticut. And obviously, all three of these players, not only are they MVP candidates, they're all defensive player of the Year candidates because they're all great defenders as well.

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Let's move along because we have other awards to discuss. Coach of the Year, let's move along. I think, look, you got to look at your Natalie Nacasse of the Valkeries. You got to look at Sheryl Reeve of the Lynx. I'm going Before I dive into my favorites, I'm also going to say who else is in the Coach of the Year conversation. Carl Smezzko of the Dream, a number two seed, 29 wins franchise record, and so far, I think there's a game left. I'm not sure. And then so far, there's a 13-game improvement from last season, which is bonkers. Like, what the heck? They are the number two rated offense Defense and defense, and defense in the league.

Have you seen how they shoot therees?

That is a strong case.

It's strong. Oh, yeah. Ryan out there.

Ryan and Alicia are having great seasons.

They're having great seasons. Just the way they move the ball, the way they hit threes. Honestly, obviously, being an Atlanta dream player all my years. I don't think I've ever seen it that strong. And it's a beautiful thing to see just being an alumni. I'm excited, and I'm hoping because the city of Atlanta has been waiting for so long. They need one, and they deserve it. So I'm hoping, man. But my coach of the year pick, Ross.

Yeah.

Because I know what it's like for a new franchise to come in. When I came to Atlanta, they only want four games. It's very hard to organize a franchise, get all the staff. Where you're going to practice. All those things, it's not an easy thing to do. To make the playoffs in your first year as a franchise, and no one has done that in the WBA, I'm going to go with Natalie Asakai. Yeah, absolutely. Just the way she the team playing, their confidence, they're young. Once again, they have young mixed with some vets. Tiffany Hayes, one of my long-term teammates. I'm going to go with Natalie only just because it's a new franchise, and that's so hard to do. So hard to do.

Yeah. I totally feel you would be one of many who believe Natalie Nacasse should get this Coach of the Year award for a franchise that has honestly had a triumphant first season in existence for the Valkeries. For me, with Natalie Nacasse, what's impressive is she's created an identity. In one season of the existence of this franchise, the team's identity, they're tough, physical, rebound, they defend, they play with pace, they shoot threes, and they do it by committee. And by committee, I mean it. I literally, I don't know a team that has had more players in and out of their lineups and rosters between hardship players, injured players during Euro Basket, international players. I see a new alert from the Valtries. I can't even keep up with their roster. Imagine being a coach. Imagine being a coach through all that. She has squeezed the most out of these players and empowered career role players into playing big. Look at Kayla Thornton, career role player, wanted to chip with the Liberty last year. This year was an all-star. Look at Veronica Burton, who absolutely was being nurtured by Natalie Lacoste. Also, shout out to Sugar Rogers, working with her on the point guard side, working with her on all aspects of this, and she's probably the front runner for most improved players.

You've got an all-star and an end-season awards winner out of a roster that people didn't think was decorated to start the season. On top of also getting the most wins for an expansion franchise in a season and getting the team to the playoffs is very impressive.

Very impressive. To me, she's my pick.

Okay, but I think we need to have more commotion for Sheryl Shama Reeve. I don't think that Coach Shama Reeve is getting enough chatter, you all. It might be just fatigue of greatness.

That happens.

The links were, for the most part of the season, much better than the rest of the league. Many games and wins better than the rest. It's only recently because she started to rest players at the end of the season that they've chalked up a couple of losses. But she's just such an elite coach. I was talking with Kyla McBride, and she was telling me how this season, Sheryl is pushing them even harder than they've ever had before. Really, practices are so intense, but they love it. They enjoy being pushed by her. Again, the team has an identity. No matter who's on the court, this team defends, they shoot threes, they share the ball, they take care of the ball. In fact, their MVP candidate, Nafisa Khaali, or missed 10 games this season, guess what? They went seven and three in those games. It talks about a well-coached team. It talks about a coach who has elevated the play and the potential and the ceiling for players that on past teams were overlooked. Now you got players like Courtney Williams, who's having a renaissance as an all-star, a renaissance for Kayla McBride's career. Alanna Smith is now a defensive player of the year candidate.

Look at DJanate Carrington fitting so well in her role with this team. I just think it's hard. People overlook sometimes excellence, but there's a lot of great coaching that's making the links as dominant as they are.

Absolutely. She definitely births Hall of Famers. I think you said it great, the fatigue of greatness. We're so used to her being so dominant, especially from the past years, that it's just like, Oh, that's what she does. But it's still worthy of saying that she's one of the candidates.

I also want to make sure we shout out Becky Hammond of the Aces because her squad is on a 15-game winning streak. She made mad adjustments to lineups to philosophies, strategies, like having the team write up their own scouting reports. And she just showed flexibility as a coach. And Nate Tibbitts establishing a new culture, era, and identity in Phoenix. There's a lot of change there, and he put the puzzle pieces together. So we shall see who wins that, but we'll be back. We got more awards discussions coming up. Welcome back to Good Follow, you all. Today's episode is presented by DraftKings. Draftkings, the Crown is yours. Angel, let's keep going through the awards. We got Defensive Player of the Year right now. First of all, I think any of our MVP candidates could win this one. They're all great defenders, and sometimes they end up giving it to one of them that didn't win the MVP. We shall see. We shall see. In your fees, your Asias, and your AT's. But I think two people that are leading the way, Gabby Williams, Leading the League in Steels and locking it down on D. But Alana Smith, for the number one defense in the League in the Minnesota Lynx, this is one of them ones where you got to watch, right?

You can't always see her impact, but she's someone in there that is blocking Shocking shots, changing shots, timely play. She's number three in the League in blocks and defensive rating. I'm just really proud of her. This is someone who was out of the League, wasn't in the WNBA, and found her way back to find a role with the Lynx, and now is an awards consideration. How much heart does that show?

That shows a lot of hearts. To me, that's not only defensive player of the year, that's also the most improved, too. She could be in that category, just not being in the league. But I I love watching her defense, her tenacity. I always say defense is just heart and effort. It's something you can't really teach. It's just something you just want to go get. I always look at the ball as gold. Go get your gold. You know what I mean? And she has that in her eyes. She wants it. She wants that gold. So to me, she's my number one pick. Obviously, the links all around are doing some amazing things. But defensive player here, I'm going with Smith.

Absolutely. And usually, these awards go to big players. Guards have such a hard time. It sucks getting these defensive awards or wings. So shout out to Gabby Williams. We see the effort and how you've locked up this season. All right, let's move along. Rooky of the Year. This one seems a little bit more like a given at this point, but at one point, it was close between Paige and Sonia Cittron, and people was debating that. And also, shout out Kiki areaFenn. She had a really strong start to her rookie season.

After I went to the Sparks game, and they played Dallas Wings, and I watched Paige, I was sold. She doesn't play like a rookie. She's so mature. She's smooth. Her move, she does move that. A lot of players still don't know how to do. She knows how to keep her dribble.

I love that you said that because sometimes These awards need an eye test, too. We're so busy comparing stats and percentages and this and that. It's like, yo, Paige is the only player, rookie, regular of any age that had a 40 piece this season. Her bag is so deep. She's so highly skilled. The thing with Paige is I'm just excited to see her putting consecutive healthy seasons together, which she never really had the chance to do in much of her career. Imagine her finally getting a break this offseason. It's a chance to rest, then a chance to work out an unrivaled, and then come back, and I pray health. The future is very bright for Paige. Shout out to Kiki and Sonia Virginia. Guess what? The Mystics have three first-round draft picks in next season's draft. The youth movement, the future is bright over there. It was really cool to see rookie talent this season. Yes. All right. We have to move. We are running out of time in the show. Most improved, who do you got?

Veronica Burton, 12 points per game, playing for the Valkeries. They're in the playoffs this year. I got a chance to watch her. I'm really impressed. I was so impressed.

What do you think, Ross? Yeah. I think a favorite here is Veronica Burton. She forexed her points per game from 3 to 12, her assists from 2 to 6, her rebounds from 1. 4 to 4. 4, more than doubled her minutes, 12 to 29, and still had her most efficiency season of career high field goal percentage. She was just critical to winning. Again, I think she, Natalie Nacasse, Sugar Roger has really worked hard together. After Caleb Thornt went down with the injury, she helped lead this team to continue to win and get their way to play off. She's really important. But you also could say, Kayla Thornton had a most improved player case. She went from five and a half points per game with the Liberty to 14 points per game in an all-star bid. Then Azri Stephens, shout out to her. Career season, career highs along the board, really flourished in LA, and that new system of Lynn Roberts and the freedom there, and she could show her versatility in the three-point shooting. And Naz Hillman. All All right. Sixth player of the year. We only have time for names right now.

Kennedy Burke.

Oh, you went with Kennedy Burke? Why?

I watched her play the other day when I went to the game, and I'm like, I was hearing things about her, but I'm like, she's it. Sixth player of the year.

Okay. And for me, I cover the Liberty. So Kennedy Burke, her impact, her huge jump in three-point shooting, her coming off the bench and bringing size and rebound and rebounding. She's made the most of the extra minutes she's gotten this season. But I do want to shout out Maz Hillman, who is a burst of energy and leadership for the number two seed Atlanta Dream. Her numbers are up, her threes and assists are up. But when she speaks, people listen to her on the Atlanta Dream. I love her energy, and she's also a candidate for sixth player of the year. Absolutely. Damn, this show is too short. We got to go, you all. That'll do it for this episode of Good Follow, presented by DraftKings. Thanks for rocking with us, and we hope to see you next time.