With the Connecticut Sun being the best team in the league, it’s fitting to give love to their best players in All-Star voting. And since the team is first in defensive rating and opponent points per game, why not devote one of those precious backcourt votes to an early candidate for both the Most Improved and Defensive Player of the Year awards? DiJonai Carrington.

The 26-year-old put the league on notice on opening day, playing lockdown defense on Caitlin Clark, forcing the No. 1 pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft to miss shots and commit turnovers, spoiling her WNBA debut in the process. During the rematch between the two teams, Carrington again played elite defense, but was also able to score 22 points on Clark, making use of her athleticism and strength.

After her team beat the Washington Mystics in the second contest of the season, Carrington explained in a simple and humble way how she became so good on the defensive end:

I had to figure out a way to get on the court and the way I figured out to get on the court was to be a lockdown defender. I was with Briann January, Jasmine Thomas, Alyssa Thomas, three of the all-time best defenders in WNBA history … If you want to play, you’ll find a way to get on the court.

And while the games against the Indiana Fever gave her the recognition she deserves, Carrington enjoyed other stellar defensive performances this season. On May 28, the Phoenix Mercury’s Kahleah Copper, who is third in the league in scoring, scored just seven points on 2-for-11 shooting when guarded by Carrington. On June 2, she limited Atlanta Dream’s Allisha Gray to nine points on 3-for-11 shooting. And on June 15, she kept the Dallas Wings’ Arike Ogunbowale, the league’s second-leading scorer, to 11 points on 2-for-15 shooting.

Offensively, Carrington is a fastbreak machine, rushing to the basket and crashing into the interior after a turnover that she most likely forced. Her 3-point shooting isn’t there yet, maybe it never will be, but she’s more efficient and more confident than ever with the ball in her hands. Her 12.5 points per game average is only bested by her collegiate averages from her junior year at Stanford and senior year at Baylor, but she’s playing with a level of maturity that’s beyond comparison to her previous years.

Without her, the Sun don’t open the season 12-1. There’s a lot of competition in the backcourt, so chances are that Carrington may not earn an All-Star spot. But that doesn’t mean that she’s not worthy of it.