WNBA insider makes her feelings clear on Napheesa Collier winning MVP ahead of Caitlin Clark

Caitlin Clark only needed one month in her debut season to prove why WNBA scouts and basketball fans all over the world were so obsessed with her.

She overcame a shaky start to her rookie season, putting her head down, getting to work, and ignoring all the outside noise — both good and bad — to help her team go back to the playoffs.

Now, she's expected to take another leap in her second year out of Iowa. And given the moves the Indiana Fever have made in the offseason, expectations are even higher.

Nevertheless, as much as she could have a strong case for MVP, ESPN analyst Sarah Spain still believes that last year's runnerup, Napheesa Collier, is about to have the best season of her career:

"I think you're choosing Caitlin Clark for good reasons; they put a lot of talent around her," Spain said. "But here's what Napheesa Collier has done since they named A'ja Wilson MVP last year and she was the runnerup.

"She scored the most points in a single postseason in WNBA history, she won the Unrivaled MVP, she won the Unrivaled 1-v-1 inaugural tournament, and she enters this season angry and ready to show that she's better than the other players in the league that keep winning these odds and keep winning these awards."

Those are all great arguments, and Collier kept working on her craft and mastering her game by dominating her opposition in her Unrivaled tournament.

The Minnesota Lynx will continue to be a force in the league next season, but they've gone 1-1 in the preseason, while the Fever have gone a perfect 3-0 and have looked like the team to beat so far.

Oddsmakers favor Caitlin Clark to win WNBA MVP

Then again, we also have to consider that MVP awards are often narrative-based awards.

As things stand now, Caitlin Clark is the odds-on favorite to win the prestigious award. She's listed at +195 odds at BetMGM, ahead of three-time winner A'ja Wilson (+200), Napheesa Collier (+250), and two-time winner Breanna Stewart (+1200).

Clark has the potential to be the best and most dominant player in the WNBA in just her second season. She still has to earn her stripes, but given her supporting cast, numbers, talent, work ethic, and popularity, it wouldn't be a surprise to see voters roll with this MVP narrative from start to finish.

It will be a steep battle for the second-year point guard, but she's already shown that she can handle the heat.