Sophie Cunningham has created real separation in the WNBA Sixth Player of the Year race, and Chennedy Carter’s recent absence has been part of the reason why.
The race has been shaped by three names: Carter, Janelle Salaün and Cunningham. Carter opened the season with a strong stretch, scoring 20 points off the Las Vegas Aces' bench in four of her first six games. Salaün also made an early impression with a couple of 20-point games and hot 3-point shooting. But missed time because of injury and illness gave Cunningham an opening, and she has taken advantage of it.
Carter’s return briefly reminded everyone why she was in the conversation. After a lengthy absence, she scored 18 points in 25 minutes in the Aces' Commissioner’s Cup game against the New York Liberty. But the next game was a quieter one: Carter played 11 minutes and scored four points.
Sunday’s head-to-head mattered
On Sunday, Cunningham outplayed Carter in the Indiana Fever's win, and that matchup likely stood out to voters. Carter played 15 minutes against the Indiana Fever, took two shots, missed both and finished with 0 points, along with 2 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal.
Cunningham’s recent production has also helped her case. She now has 263 bench points, a total that ties for third-most among bench scorers and gives her a strong statistical platform in a race that has become more fluid as the season has gone on.
For Carter, the path back into the lead is still there, but it will require more consistent availability and more games like the one she had against the New York Liberty. For Cunningham, the message is simpler: she has the momentum, and Sunday’s win over Carter only strengthened it.
