A'ja Wilson continues to tower over her peers; she is the undisputed best player in the WNBA today, and she seems to be well on her way to a third MVP award — all the while leading the Las Vegas Aces in their pursuit of their third straight championship. And in the process of doing so, Wilson continues to rise up the leaderboards — even snatching the rebounding crown from one of the WNBA's best glass-cleaners of all-time, Angel Reese.
Entering the night in need of just three boards to surpass Reese's record for most total rebounds in a single season (446), Wilson secured the feat rather easily, having tallied six boards during their Tuesday night clash against the Seattle Storm at the time of writing.
Of course, context matters. On a per-game basis, Reese, at least based off of numbers, is still the better rebounder. The Chicago Sky rookie managed to snag a total of 446 boards on the season despite playing in just 34 games (averaging 13.1 rebounds in the process). Meanwhile, Wilson needed 38 games to reach 447 rebounds on the year.
Reese is in a different stratosphere when it comes to hauling in offensive rebounds. Thus, Wilson overtaking her for the single-season rebounding record should not be a blemish on the Sky rookie's record. Reese averaged 5.1 offensive boards per contest before succumbing to a season-ending wrist injury, and her motor on the glass remains nearly unparalleled.
And if there's someone Reese would rather lose the record to, it's Wilson. The Aces forward has been the biggest star in the sport over the past three to four years, and she is only strengthening her GOAT case with one stellar game after another. Reese could only hope that she avoids the injury bug next season. But for now, Wilson stands tall as the premier rebounder in the WNBA — at least from a total rebounds perspective.
A'ja Wilson is doing her best to lift the Aces
The 2023 season was already as elite as it could get for A'ja Wilson. She averaged 22.8 points and 9.5 rebounds per game to go along with her stellar defensive numbers (2.2 blocks, 1.4 steals per game). But she somehow managed to improve upon every single one of those categories, taking her game to the next level as she looks to lead the Aces back to the promised land.
Entering the Aces' Tuesday night contest against the Storm, Wilson was averaging 27.0 points, 12.0 rebounds, 2.6 blocks, and 1.8 steals — monster numbers. Her efficiency may have dropped off a bit from last season (.627 TS% last year compared to .592 this year), but she remains the most unstoppable force in the league thanks to her well-rounded skillset.
Not only does Wilson have good size for her position, she also has the ball skills that make her a matchup nightmare for most of her peers at the forward position. She can create good looks for herself at will, and she terrorizes defenses whenever she gets faceup opportunities around the perimeter.
But it's Wilson's defense that sets her apart even further. She protects the rim with ease, is an active threat on the passing lanes, and she is also a firm presence on the glass. There isn't much more that could be asked of her as the Aces' focal point on both ends of the floor. It will be a shock if she doesn't win the third MVP of her career as well as her third consecutive DPOY.
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