Connecticut Sun react after DiJonai Carrington wins WNBA’s Most Improved Player award

Prior to Game 2 of the first round of the WNBA playoffs, Carrington was presented with a trophy and received a standing ovation from the Connecticut crowd. She will also receive $5,150 to recognize the achievement.

Carrington was drafted by the Sun 20^th overall in the 2021 WNBA draft. This year, she’s had a major impact, moving into a starting role on a veteran team. She started in all 39 games that she played and averaged career highs of 12.7 points, 1.6 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 1.6 steals.

Carrington also recorded 25 games with 10 or more points this season, a career high.

“I think every night, Nai [Carrington] brings it on both sides of the basketball, and obviously we talk a lot about her defense and what she can do on that side of the floor, and the impact that she has, which is incredible,” Sun guard Veronica Burton told The Next. “I think she really brings just such a dynamic threat on the offensive side, and I think she opens it up for everybody else on the floor. So just her consistency throughout the whole season on both sides.”

Consistency is a word that Carrington and her coaches have used to describe her all season long. Stephanie White often refers to her consistency when asked about Carrington during press conferences.

“I think everybody’s just incredibly proud of her hard work and her consistency. She’s taken what is typically more the traditional path in terms of not being a rotation player, working her way into the rotation, being up for sixth player of the year a year ago before her injury, stepping into the starting role and taking off,” White told reporters. “I know that fans get caught up in the ones who come in and immediately always make an impact, but the steps that DiJonai has taken, the improvements that she’s made, every single year, and someone who’s always stayed ready so she doesn’t have to get ready to take advantage of that next opportunity. We’re proud of her and certainly she’s earned it, and [I’m] very happy for her.”

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Recently Carrington was asked about being a frontrunner to win the Most Improved Player award, but she said she didn’t think she was going to win. 

“I definitely didn’t think so. And not because I didn’t think I deserved it, just because Connecticut, we don’t get the love and the hype and stuff that we, I think deserve and have earned,” Carrington told reporters. “And it was just something that I don’t get my hopes up for, I guess more so, for awards and things like that, because you never want to be let down. When it did happen, I was super, super surprised. They were like, ‘Cathy (Engelbert) wants to call you’. And I’m like, ‘Oh my God, what did I tweet this time?’”

Sun forward Olivia Nelson-Ododa added her excitement for her teammate and the recognition that she received for all of her hard work.

“[I’m] ecstatic for her. I think it’s a testament to how much hard work she’s put in the offseason, and it’s clear to see now, just how much it’s paying off,” Nelson-Ododa told The Next. “I mean, it was a clear choice as to why she was MIP.”

Although Carrington spent last offseason recovering from a foot injury, her work throughout the year ultimately paid off.

“Just the extra work that she does with our coaches, just always paying attention to the details and small things, just whenever we’re preparing for teams, I think the biggest difference is her preparation overall,” Nelson-Ododa said. “You can see that as her teammate, and then you can just see the way it pays off on the court.”

Carrington has undergone six surgeries, all before the age of 25, but her diligence has shown on the court this season.

“I’m really proud of her, really happy for her,” Burton said. “Obviously, a lot goes on behind the scenes in terms of just her offseason and the work that she has put in, and so it showed in real time. And she’s so deserving.”

Carrington scored 10 points, had two steals and four rebounds in Connecticut’s Game 2 win against the Indiana Fever helping the Sun advance to the semifinals.

Carrington and the Sun’s business is not done as they aim to win a championship this season. The Sun will heavily rely on the league’s most improved player as she continues to prove herself and improve her skills every time she steps onto the court.

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