1 WNBA guard leads Most Improved Player award race

Veronica Burton is having a terrific year — so much so that she’s built a formidable case as the WNBA’s most improved player.

The Golden State Valkyries point guard is averaging 11.7 points, 5.4 assists, and 4.2 rebounds per game — all career highs — while leading the Valkyries to an 18-17 record.

She’s shooting a career-best 38.3% from beyond the arc, and has the fourth-best assist-to-turnover ratio in the league at 2.81 assists per turnover (among players who have played in at least 7 games).

All of it has come just over a year after she was waived by the Dallas Wings and risked being out of the WNBA entirely. But the 2022 first-round pick was signed by the Connecticut Sun, and her career was revived. Last year, averaged 3.1 points and 1.9 assists per game in 12.7 minutes per night, demonstrating she was a capable backup point guard. Maybe not a 30-point per game scorer — but a serviceable two-way guard nonetheless.

Still, when it was time for the Sun to protect six players ahead of the Valkyries’ expansion draft, Burton was left unprotected. So, she was selected by Golden State as a member of their inaugural team.

The rest is history.

With the Valkyries, Burton has started in all 35 games and established herself as one of the team’s leaders on both ends. She’s the first player in WNBA history to record three 10+ assist, 0-turnover games in a single season; Tuesday’s 24-point, 14-assist, 0-turnover outing solidified that.

Last week, in a win over the Washington Mystics, she exploded for a career-high 30 points, hitting 10 of 13 field goals alongside 7 rebounds and 7 assists.

Before the season, Burton told SB Nation that she had high expectations, even though expansion teams typically rank near the bottom of the league.

“We all have a chip on our shoulder, and we’re all ready to compete,” Burton said. “Everyone kind of assumes, ‘first year, we’ll see what they can do. Just make the most of what you have.’ But when you have just kind of the mindset that you’re hungry and the underdog mindset — at least for me, I don’t know, I have really high expectations for this year. The grittiness will come out, and just the passion and excitement to play.”

Those high expectations have been exceeded on a personal level. Maybe it was her productive offseason; Burton spent the winter playing for the Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL) in Australia, where she averaged 15 points and 4.9 assists.

Maybe, at age 25, a lifetime of hard work had simply culminated in a massive leap.

Let’s take a look at other WNBA players who have come up in the Most Improved Player conversation.

Atlanta Dream forward Naz Hillmon is having a strong season off the bench, averaging 8.4 points and 5.8 rebounds, up from 5.7 points and 4.8 rebounds last season. But her efficiency is down, and her production doesn’t rival Burton’s.

Seattle Storm forward Gabby Williams earned her first All-Star selection at age 28. In addition to establishing herself as one of the league’s most elite defenders, Williams is averaging 12.3 points and 4.5 assists, up from 10.3 points and 3.7 assists last year. But her shooting numbers are also slightly down (from 48.1% from the field to 43.9% and from 32.3% from three to 29.9% from three), and her offensive bump is negligible.

Dream guard Allisha Gray went from an All-Star to a borderline MVP candidate; she’s averaging 18.5 points and 3.7 assists on 44.8% shooting and 39.3% from three, up from 15.6 points and 2.7 assists on 40.3% shooting and 34.2% from three.

Los Angeles Sparks forward Azura Stevens makes a strong case for herself; she’s averaging 14.4 points and 7.9 rebounds on 50.6% shooting, up from 9.6 points and 6 rebounds on 39.9% shooting last year. But Stevens has had similar seasons before, having averaged double-digits three times in her career.

Valkyries forward Kayla Thornton earned her first All-Star selection this season after nearly tripling her scoring and rebounding from last season. But a season-ending knee injury probably takes the 32-year-old out of the conversation.

Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese is another young star who has also come up in the Most Improved Player conversation; Reese is far more efficient this season despite a difficult start, shooting 45.6% from the field and 78.5% from the line, up from 39.1% and 73.6% last season. Her assists have also nearly doubled, from 1.9 to 3.7. But she was an All-Star in her rookie season, too — so her baseline is considerably higher than some of the other players on this list.

New York Liberty guard Kennedy Burke has increased her production; she’s averaging 8.5 points, up from 3.4 points last season, and is far more efficient (shooting 48.2% from the field and 44% from three, up from 40.9% from the field and 25.9% from three last season). But she’s playing a far more minimal role in New York than Burton is in Golden State.

All of these players have a Most Improved Player case, and there’s still nearly a month of regular-season basketball. But as it currently stands, Burton appears to be the frontrunner for the Most Improved Player award.