Mystics’ Elena Delle Donne gaining steam in MVP market after fast start to 2023 WNBA season

After battling injuries that caused her to miss all but three games of the 2021 season, and taking a measured approach in not playing in 11 of the Washington Mystics’ 36 games last season, star forward and two-time MVP Elena Delle Donne is playing at a high level early in the 2023 WNBA season.

Despite a 2-2 record, both losses coming to the Connecticut Sun, Delle Donne is averaging 21 points, six rebounds, and three assists, including a 25-point outing against the Chicago Sky last Friday where she hit the go-ahead shot to give them the win.

It’s early in the season, but Delle Donne hasn’t averaged 20 points or more in a season since 2018, and her hot start is gaining steam in the WNBA MVP betting market. Before the season started, Delle Donne odds to win her third WNBA MVP were as high as 11/1 at one sportsbook, but now, she’s the third option to win the award at Caesars Sportsbook as of Friday morning.

Odds updated as of 9:45 a.m. ET on June 2.

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The top three names on this list are all former WNBA MVP winners, with A’ja Wilson, the second choice currently at Caesars, as the reigning winner. Delle Donne, Wilson and Candace Parker are the only three players on the list with multiple league MVP’s.

Over the next month, Delle Donne and the Mystics will have a couple of nationally televised games (June 11 vs Storm, June 25 vs Liberty) that will allow the former MVP to make a strong claim for a third MVP award this season. If she keeps up her high level play, the gap between Stewart and Delle Donne could continue to shrink.

Dallas Wings guard Arike Ogunbowale has been on a tear to start the season, averaging 25 points per game and off to a surprising 3-1 start this season, including Tuesday’s narrow win over the Minnesota Lynx. The former Notre Dame standout and 2019 first round draftee is leading the league in scoring, and faces a stiff test when they travel to face Delle Donne and the Mystics Friday night. It could be a chance to further strengthen her push for league MVP, already dropped from 40/1 odds to 15/1 odds two weeks into the season.

While Ogunbowale’s odds are trending down, New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu’s odds are in the opposite direction, moving from 8/1 before the season started, to now 15/1. Partly due to her teammate, Breanna Stewart, having a terrific start to the season, Ionescu is gotten off the a slow start through four games, averaging 16 points and shooting 38 percent from the field.

As the Liberty figure out how to incorporate their new pieces, including Courtney Vandersloot, 2021 regular-season MVP Jonquel Jones and the aforementioned Stewart, Ionescu’s typical offensive production seems to be taking a back seat, for now.

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One player to watch in the coming weeks: Las Vegas Aces guard and former number one overall pick Jackie Young, who is shining bright alongside A’ja Wilson, Kelsey Plum and Candace Parker. Her odds were as high as 150/1 at DraftKings, and 100/1 at both BetMGM and FanDuel before the season started. Averaging a career high 23 points while shooting 61 percent from the field, Young is now 25/1 at Caesars to win MVP, and that number could continue to drop with her high level play.