Rhyne Howard May Have to Change History to Win WNBA MVP in Rookie Season
By Ben Heisler
Rhyne Howard's WNBA career is off to a spectacular start; with whispers of not just Rookie of the Year, but Most Valuable Player getting louder and louder.
The No. 1 pick in the 2022 WNBA Draft out of Kentucky, Howard has led the Atlanta Dream to a fast 4-3 start this season; averaging 17.6 points per game along with 4 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.6 steals. Per HerHoopStats, Howard ranks as the fifth-highest player in win shares this season, and ESPN Stats and Info points out that her 83 points in her first four games put her in the same conversation as future Hall of Famer Diana Taurasi to start a career, and the best start in Dream team history.
Through 21 points on Friday, Rhyne Howard has 123 career points in her 1st 6 games.
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) May 21, 2022
That is the most by any player in Dream franchise history through their 1st six games, passing Chennedy Carter's 122 in 2020. pic.twitter.com/S0gGx4rizd
With Howard in the fold, the Dream appear to have turned the corner from their 8-24 season a year ago, but the oddsmakers in Vegas aren't sure the Dream are fully ready to take off.
WynnBET Sportsbook has the Dream tied with the 1-5 New York Liberty for the second-longest odds in the league to win the WNBA title at +7500, or 75/1. The only team with longer odds is the Indiana Fever, who just fired their head coach Marianne Stanley after a 2-7 start, and 14-49 record in three-plus seasons.
So how does that impact Howard's chances at a possible MVP candidacy?
No Player Has Ever Won WNBA MVP on a Losing Team
Since the league began in 1997, all but one Most Valuable Player in WNBA history has played for a winning team that season. The lone exception was in 2007, when Lauren Jackson won her second of three MVP awards for a 17-17 Seattle Storm club.
Here's how the current WNBA MVP odds stack up.
Odds to win 2022 WNBA MVP
- A'Ja Wilson +350
- Kelsey Plum +600
- Jonquel Jones +700
- Arike Ogunbowale +800
- Sabrina Ionescu +800
- Rhyne Howard +800
- Breanna Stewart +900
- Tina Charles +900
- Elena Delle Donne +1200
- Candace Parker +1500
Howard is tied for fourth on the board at WynnBET at 8/1, putting her in a very viable position to contend. The issue, however, is the juxtaposition between her high MVP odds, and her team hovering around .500, with concern for their future spot in the standings.
As Howard goes, so too go the Dream. In their last game vs. the Washington Mystics, she entered as the top scoring leader in the WNBA, and left in 8th place following an 0 for 9 performance from the field.
The Washington Mystics held Rhyne Howard scoreless for the game. The Rookie came in the game as the WNBA scoring leader.
— Wayne Cole (@waynec0le) May 25, 2022
Ultimately, her candidacy for the league's top award is real, but she'll have to carry Atlanta to a winning record to likely warrant consideration, and they're more than capable of getting there.
Through seven games, the Dream defense ranks top 3 in opponent points/game, opponent points/100 possessions, and first in opponent effective field goal percentage and opponent points/scoring attempt. That's good enough to keep them in many games this year.
Should Howard take home the hardware, she'll be the first rookie to win since Candace Parker with the L.A. Sparks in 2008. The numbers for Howard to win MVP, as well as the Dream to contend both offer significant value in the betting market, and I'd jump on both soon before they start climbing.
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