Pick and Roll: Collier MVP frontrunner after two weeks, rookies starting strong

We’re just two weeks into the 2025 WNBA season and the storylines to follow are already starting to write themselves. 

An injury to Caitlin Clark that will sideline her for at least a few weeks has caused a major shift in the MVP odds.

And a solid start for Paige Bueckers with the Dallas Wings has seen her odds to win Rookie of the Year move even more in her favour despite strong starts from Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen on the Washington Mystics. 

The New York Liberty have also shown no sign of a championship hangover as the team has started 5-0 and their odds to win the WNBA Championship have been cut from +210 to +155 and they stand as the clear-cut favourite. 

Join me, Luke Bellus, as I dive into a few storylines before handing it off to TSN’s Brianne Spiker for her thoughts and a bet in the futures market to consider as we enter June. 

COLLIER MVP FRONTRUNNER 

After opening at +700 to win 2025 WNBA MVP, Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier sits as a -300 favourite to win the award after the opening two weeks of the season. 

Collier leads the league with her 26.8 points per game and has led the Lynx to their first 5-0 start since 2017. 

Collier’s price to win MVP has been on the move all season but was still the number two choice on FanDuel behind Clark until news of an injury that will sideline her a few weeks. 

With Clark shut down, and the Lynx picking up another win, Collier has taken over as the overwhelming favourite to win the team’s first MVP award since Sylvia Fowles in 2017. 

ROOKIE’S ON THE RISE 

Entering the season, No. 1 pick Bueckers was getting most of the hype around this rookie class, and for good reason. 

Bueckers was fresh off leading the UConn Huskies to a national championship and has been touted as one of the best prospects the women’s game has ever seen. 

Bueckers was -370 to be named Rookie of the Year when the season started, and a strong start to her pro career has seen that number move to -700. 

But the play of Bueckers shouldn’t overshadow the fact that two Washington Mystics rookies have hit the ground running to start their careers. 

Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen both became the first Mystics players in 20 years to score double-digit points in the first six games of their career. 

Citron leads all rookies with her 15 points per game, while Iriafen leads all rookies with 10.7 rebounds per game and became the second player in league history to have four double-doubles in her first five games. 

While Bueckers has started fast, it hasn’t translated to wins with Dallas starting 1-4, meanwhile the Mystics have started stronger than most people expected and are 3-3 through six games. 

Washington is currently +142 on FanDuel to make the playoffs, something that could go a long way in swinging who takes home 2025 Rookie of the Year. 

Spiker’s Say

The Chicago Sky had one of the busiest off-seasons in the WNBA, bringing in a new head coach in Tyler Marsh, and adding veterans Ariel Atkins, Courtney Vandersloot, Rebecca Allen, Kia Nurse and Rachel Banham to surround their younger core but it has not translated to wins. 

Chicago lost their opener by 35 points to the Indiana Fever and lost by 25 to the New York Liberty in their second game. The team moved on from guard Chennedy Carter in the off-season, who was the pinpoint of their offence last season and the Sky have struggled to get much offence out of the current roster. 

Angel Reese continues to average a double-double this season with 10 points per game and 14 rebounds per game, a mark that leads all WNBA players. Atkins leads the team in scoring at 12.3 per game, down from her career mark of 14.9 she set with the Washington Mystics. But the Sky have only four players average double digits in points. 

It's still early and the Sky don't deserve to be completely written off but with how competitive this league is, Chicago needs to turn the season around in a hurry before they dig themselves too deep of a hole. This team has the pieces to challenge for a playoff spot. Now it's time for them to show it.