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ARLINGTON, TX – AUGUST 24: DiJonai Carrington #21 of the Connecticut Sun looks on during Round 1 Game 3 of the 2022 WNBA Playoffs on August 24, 2022 at the College Park Center in Arlington, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2022 NBAE (Photo by Cooper Neill/NBAE via Getty Images)
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ARLINGTON, TX – AUGUST 24: DiJonai Carrington #21 of the Connecticut Sun looks on during Round 1 Game 3 of the 2022 WNBA Playoffs on August 24, 2022 at the College Park Center in Arlington, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2022 NBAE (Photo by Cooper Neill/NBAE via Getty Images)
None can deny, the Connecticut Sun’s guard-forward has been impressive this season. The 20th overall pick from the 2021 WNBA draft has made it to an average career high of 12.7 points with an impressive 5 rebounds per game this regular season. It might seem less until you compare with her last season’s 8.3 points, and 2.9 rebounds last year. As of now, she’s giving her best to knock off Indiana Fever rookie at Game 2 of playoffs. But, it looks like she already nailed it.
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On September 25th, Carrington was announced as the Kia WNBA’s Most Improved Player. As big as this achievement was, her home crowd couldn’t resist giving her a standing ovation. For Carrington, it was 28 out of 67 votes from a national panel of broadcasters and sportswriters that secured her the title.
Seatbelt szn in full effect at Mohegan Sun! DiJonai Carrington gets a standing ovation from the crowd as she is recognized as the WNBA’s Most Improved Player pregame! pic.twitter.com/CM4fQ2QYZC
— Emily Adams (@eaadams6) September 25, 2024
Well, it isn’t just the title that looks impressive; along with it comes a monetary benefit of $5,150 and a shining trophy. While Carrington topped the list, she was followed by Dearica Hamby, who finished second with 18 votes, and Minnesota Lynx forward Bridget Carleton, who came in third with 15 votes.
The last three were Chicago Sky’s Carter with 3 votes, and Lynx forward Alanna Smith sharing fifth place with Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu, each with one vote. Amongst them all, the 5’11” Carrington stood out as the top preference. However, it wasn’t just her statistical improvement that led her to the title.
A dominant regular season for DiJonai Carrington
She recorded a career-high with 10 or more points in 25 games. She also ranked third among all league players with at least five steals. And who could forget her defensive prowess? With a 94.1 defensive rating, Carrington led the WNBA in fewest points allowed per game (73.6 points per game).
Furthermore, her impressive play earned her a starting position in all 39 games she played. She equally deserves credit for Connecticut’s 28-12 record, the most wins in franchise history, which helped the team secure the No. 3 seed ahead of the two-time defending champions in the WNBA playoffs.
She’s a standout today as well. In her 18 minutes of gameplay, she contributed 2 steals and 1 assist. Her recent achievement is also celebrated by the Sun, as she becomes the fifth player from the team to win the Kia Most Improved Player award, joining Brionna Jones, Jonquel Jones, Wendy Palmer, and Kelsey Bone.
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Edited by
Shivatmika Manvi