Jackie Young Made WNBA Finals History In Game 2. Can She Win Finals MVP?

Don’t look now, A’ja Wilson: One of your Las Vegas Aces teammates is stealing your thunder.

When the Aces wrapped up their dominant win over the Phoenix Mercury in Game 2 of the WNBA Finals, the biggest numbers weren’t next to the reigning MVP’s name. Rather, the most mind-blowing stat was 60% — the scintillating shooting clip of Wilson’s running mate, Jackie Young.

The four-time All-Star didn’t just lead all scorers with a whopping 32 points. She made history as well, pouring in 21 points in the third frame to set the record for most points scored in a single quarter of a WNBA Finals game.

Young shot often and made significantly more than she missed, going 12-for-20 from the field. On Sunday night at the Michelob ULTRA Arena, the 6-foot guard brought her entire bag: paint touches, midrange conversions, and booming triples (to be specific, 3-for-7 from beyond the arc).

It’s hard to overshadow the only woman to win the WNBA MVP Award four times, but Young is giving her longtime teammate a run for her money in Las Vegas. In the first two games of this Finals series, Wilson is averaging 24.5 points on 51.3% shooting from the field, along with 12.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists. Young, meanwhile, is not that far behind with 21.0 points per game on a 45.5% shooting clip, plus 5.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists per outing.

Is it possible, then, for Young to claim the Finals MVP Award in the event that the Aces clinch this series? The top overall pick of the 2019 WNBA Draft is certainly in the running, and the next two games could help her bolster her case.

The next two games of the Finals will now shift to Phoenix, and if Young has aspirations of winning that prestigious accolade, she’ll need to prove that she can weather the fierce heat in the Valley. Winning a single road game in any Finals series is incredibly tough, but if Young can step up when the Mercury defense inevitably focuses on Wilson, she’ll have a chance to put up some more impressive numbers.

Young, of course, has valuable experience in closing out a championship series, whether it was with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish or the back-to-back title squads fielded by the Aces just a few years ago. Now, with Las Vegas just two wins away from capturing the WNBA title, Young will have to be the most ferocious, prolific version of herself.