Eight months, 35-and-a-half weeks, 249 days — these are the units of time that stood in between Breanna Stewart’s official signing with the New York Liberty during the WNBA’s free agency period and the inevitable Game 1, 2023 WNBA Finals contest between the Liberty and the defending champion Las Vegas Aces.
Sunday’s series opener features the two preseason title favorites, the best and most-anticipated matchup the league has to offer, and storylines galore. Among the many topics at hand, one of the more fun ones to explore in this matchup showcasing the premier WNBA talent is which player will be the best. Better yet — which of the players to wager on being the best.
Let’s talk about it.
All odds courtesy of BetMGM.
The Longshot Bet - Courtney Vandersloot (+15000)
AP Photo/Jessica Hill
Let’s start at the bottom of the list of realistic 2023 WNBA Finals MVP candidates.
Since BetMGM released the series futures, I’ve had my eyes on Courtney Vandersloot’s extremely long +15000 Finals MVP odds. In her 13th WNBA season, she’s not quite in the “best point guard in the league” conversation anymore, but she’s still a solid 11 point, eight assist performer on a nightly basis. Sloot’s only two-ish years removed from her 2021 WNBA Finals win with the Chicago Sky in which she averaged 11.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 12.5 assists across four games.
Will she go 2021 Finals mode on the Aces this year? The odds and the superior players surrounding her make such an idea seem unlikely. Yet, I can’t write it off completely, which makes this long shot Finals MVP candidate worth at least considering spending money on.
Best Value - Chelsea Gray (+1800)
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
A handful of players in this matchup have the potential to GO OFF on any given night, but perhaps none of them make it look as glamorous as the Aces’ Chelsea Gray. The swag, the handle, the pull-up jumpers, the dimes — poetry in motion when she’s got it clicking. And for those hoping to turn a small amount of money into a lot, you might want to consider Gray’s +1800 odds to repeat as Finals MVP.
Biggest Sleeper - Jonquel Jones (+1800)
David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
When examining the rosters of the Aces and Liberty, you’ll be hard-pressed to find anything but household names. At the top are the two faces of the WNBA and most recent league MVPs, A’ja Wilson (2022) and Breanna Stewart (2023). Sabrina Ionescu and Candace Parker (injured) might be the next couple of names reeled off before getting to a third grouping that includes players like Kelsey Plum and Chelsea Gray.
Yet, it’s easy to gloss over the fact that there’s another recent WNBA MVP set to play a major role in this series — that is the league’s 2021 award winner, Jonquel Jones, whose relocation this past off-season to the Big Apple made headlines before Stewie’s decision stole them all. Jones dominated the Aces back on August 15th with a 16 point, 15 rebound and two block performance to lead New York to a Commissioner’s Cup championship while helping each player secure an additional bag. Can Jones turn you into a prize winner?
Favorites - A'ja Wilson (-160), Breanna Stewart (+325)
Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports
I spent a lot of time in the sections above making pitches for why someone not named A’ja Wilson or Breanna Stewart could play their way into Finals MVP honors, and maybe (hopefully) my words were sweet enough to convince a few folks reading this article. But in reality, either A’ja or Stewie is likely the player adding another piece of hardware to their collection of individual awards once the dust settles — they’re the two best players in this series, and that’s a statement not up for debate. Which of the two is the best in this particular series will likely determine the outcome of the Finals.
