Souhan: Napheesa Collier, emerging MVP contender, is a big part of a big Lynx weekend

Minnesota’s WNBA fans circled this weekend long ago.

Friday night, the two-time defending champion Las Vegas Aces and two-time MVP A’ja Wilson will play at Target Center.

Saturday night, transformational phenom and probable future MVP Caitlin Clark will play for Indiana against the Lynx, the same night Minnesota is honoring former league MVP Maya Moore Irons.

In the wake of the Lynx’s most impressive victory in years — Wednesday’s 98-87 win over the Aces — there is another reason to drop by Target Center.

You want to see an MVP?

You may not need to peer into the past, or anticipate the distant future.

You may want to take a look at Napheesa Collier.

Even before the Lynx won on Wednesday night, they were the surprise team in the WNBA. Beating the fully healthy Aces on their home court in a game Las Vegas may have needed to win to catch the third-place Lynx in the league standings means the Lynx aren’t just a nice story.

That victory suggests they can contend for a title.

That’s thanks largely to Collier, who is elevating her team the way MVPs do.

The way the Lynx played Wednesday was a reminder of why we watch team sports.

To see beauty, in this case in the form of flowing offense and unselfish ball movement.

To see teamwork, which is evident for this Lynx team on both ends of the court.

To see individual aspiration, as Collier, a former No. 6 pick in the draft, evolves into a superstar as women’s sports surge into undeniable popularity.

To see shrewd roster-building and coaching. Lynx boss Cheryl Reeve may eventually regret not selecting Angel Reese in last year’s draft, but what she’s done with intuitive, under-the-radar moves has positioned this team for a shocking level of success.

On Tuesday, she traded for forward Myisha Hines-Allen. On Wednesday night, Hines-Allen was the Lynx’s best bench player, producing eight points, four rebounds, two assists and a steal in 14 minutes against a team featuring four Olympians.

Under Reeve and her all-star coaching staff, virtually every important Lynx player has played better than could have been realistically anticipated, including Collier, Kayla McBride, Courtney Williams, Alanna Smith, Bridget Carleton and, now, Hines-Allen.

In terms of long-term building, the decision to pass on Reese, and the slow development of Diamond Miller, the second pick in the 2023 draft, are worrisome.

But after years of borrowing the Vikings’ phrase “competitive rebuild,” the Lynx no longer are rebuilding. They’re competing for a top seed in the world’s most talent-saturated team sports league.

In terms of contending for a championship, this looks like New York’s year. The player Reeve most wanted to land in free agency — superstar Breanna Stewart — has the Liberty comfortably atop the standings.

Entering Thursday, the Lynx were just a half-game out of the second seed, behind Connecticut, and held a two-game lead over Seattle for the third seed.

Unexpected sports success is the best kind of sports success, and the Lynx keep raising the bar.

Could they win their first title since 2017?

The odds are very much against it, largely because of the dominance of New York this season.

What the Lynx’s victory Wednesday signifies is that there is only one team clearly better than the Lynx right now.

Draft Kings lists the favorites to win this year’s MVP award in this order: Wilson, Clark, New York’s Sabrina Ionescu, Connecticut’s Alyssa Thomas, Seattle’s Jewell Loyd, Stewart, New York’s Jonquel Jones, then Collier, who is tied with Seattle’s Nneka Ogwumike.

Collier just outplayed Wilson and has a less-talented team ahead of Wilson’s Aces in the standings. Ionescu is the second-best player on her team.

Collier and Thomas are the two players among the MVP contenders who have a team in the top three and who are clearly a cut above, and elevating, their teammates.

If Collier continues to dominate on both ends of the floor, this weekend may not be the last time the Lynx hold a ceremony to honor one of their former MVPs.