It's understandable that outlets wouldn't want to acknowledge that Indiana Fever star guard Caitlin Clark is a possible MVP contender. Missing four games or more in a row while players like Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier and Las Vegas Aces center A'ja Wilson continue to thrive in their campaigns is always going to deliver a blow to that effort.
However, Clark's absence should be a huge boost to the stock of both Lexie Hull and Aliyah Boston. The two core members of the Fever's starting lineup have had to step up in a big way in Clark's absence, and since the start of the season, the duo has not disappointed.
Boston is leading the league in field goal percentage at 66.7 percent. Hull is leading the league in three-point percentage with 60 percent shooting from long range on 2.5 attempts per game, the most in her career. Both are helping to keep the Fever afloat in Clark's absence, and setting themselves up for success once she returns.
None of that seems to matter, though, in ESPN's latest WNBA awards tracker, which has neither Hull or Boston as frontrunners for the award both could very well qualify for so far this season: Most Improved Player.
Hull & Boston snubbed as frontrunners for MIP in ESPN's latest tracker
This is no knock on ESPN's current frontrunner for MIP, Atlanta Dream guard Allisha Gray. She's been markedly improved from three point range and as a general offensive leader for the Dream this season, which is quite impressive considering she was already a huge part to their success in recent years.
However, Hull and Boston's ability to help keep the Fever 2-2 in Clark's absence with both their defensive tenacity and both of their contributions on offense should be weighed pretty heavily considering, again, Clark has not been on the court during their respective surges.
READ MORE: Fever surviving (and thriving) without Caitlin Clark in latest power rankings
Kendra Andrews wrote of Hull and Boston:
"The Fever have struggled while Caitlin Clark recovers from a quad injury. In Clark's absence, Boston is averaging over five assists, a big leap from her 3.8 season average and nearly double what she averaged last season. In a career-high 29.5 minutes this season, Hull is averaging career bests in points (10.5, nearly double from 2024), rebounds (4.3) and field goal percentage (53.2%, up from 44.1% in 2024)."
If either can keep up these peaks, then they have a great case for winning the award by year's end. But, they might be getting snubbed if Indiana is unable to recover from their slight slump as of late, and if they're unable to beat out Atlanta in the standings.