Getty Image / Emilee Chinn
The Rookie of the Year race in the WNBA is more newsworthy than ever before. The race between the Chicago Sky’s Angel Reese and the Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark has brought newfound attention to the WNBA that the league has never seen before.
Clark, the league’s first-overall pick after her record-shattering career at Iowa, has been a huge favorite since the start to take home the award over her old college nemesis, former LSU Tiger Angel Reese. But, things started to change a little bit over the weekend, at least in the eyes of some.
The two met up for their third matchup in the WNBA on Sunday, and for the first time, it was Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky that came out on top, 88-87. And, while Caitlin Clark played well, scoring 17 points to go along with a team-record 13 assists, it was Angel Reese who won the day. She had 25 points and 16 rebounds, including ten in the fourth quarter to spark a huge comeback.
Now, some outlets, including CBS Sports, have Angel Reese ranked as the top rookie in the league over Caitlin Clark. Here’s what they had to say.
On Reese:
Reese has been productive on the boards and is currently No. 2 in the league with 11.1 rebounds per game. Against Indiana, she tallied a career-high 25 points along with 16 rebounds, and she’s now just one double-double away from tying Candace Parker’s single-season record streak from 2015.
Reese’s rebounding skills translated to the WNBA right away, but she had been struggling to finish around the basket. Earlier this month, Atlanta Dream center Tina Charles told her to take her time when trying to score, and Reese said that advice has helped her improve her field goal percentage. Since June 8, Reese has been at least at 50% in four of six games.
Clark is averaging a solid 16.3 points per game while also passing the ball extremely well. Her 13 assists against the Sky were the most in Fever history. Clark is averaging 6.6 assists per game, good for fourth best in the WNBA.But, of course, Clark is known for her shooting range, and that skill is also translating nicely. She has registered a total of 51 3-pointers so far, just one less than Sabrina Ionescu and Kayla McBride for the league lead.