Is The Race For The WNBA Rookie of the Year Award Over?

Caitlyn Clark and Angel Reese have taken the WNBA by storm, making their marks indelibly to herald the coming of a new, exciting era in the league. Caitlyn and Angel are rewriting history by breaking records continually, making the two arch-rivals the clear frontrunners for the league Rookie-of-the-Year award. Which is why fans from both camps have been trying to focus our attention on the strong points of their respective players. Their narratives are an interesting subplot as we navigate through the last 6-or-so games each team has to complete before we proceed to the playoffs.

Based on current league statistics, Caitlyn leads the league in assists, averaging 8.4 per game. Angel, on the other hand, has been lording it over in the rebounds category with a 13.2 per game average. Angel continues to dazzle with her double-doubles (double digits in points scored and rebounds) which has reached a whopping 22 for the season. Caitlyn, on the other hand, has just recorded her 2nd triple double (double digits in points, rebounds and assists), a remarkable feat that has never been achieved by any other rookie ever since, much moreso twice. She has also been named the Eastern Conference Player of the Month for August, the first and only rookie so far to have earned the honor.

Caitlyn’s other average game stats reads as follows: 19.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.4 steals, 0.8 blocks, 5.6 turnovers, 42.3 Field Goal % (FG%), 34.9 3-Pt Field Goal % (3P FG%), and 90.3 Free Throw % (FT%). Angel’s per game average stats reads as follows: 13.3 points, 1.8 assists, 1.3 steals, 0.5 blocks, 2.1 turnovers, 38.4 FG%, 15.4 3P FG%, and 72.8 FT%. Based on these statistics, Caitlyn leads Angel in all categories except rebounds.

As for their respective teams’ performance, the Indiana Fever unleashed a huge turnaround after the Olympic Break, and are now toting an 18-17 win-loss slate. This is good for 6th place, and they have now secured (for the first time in a decade) a spot in the playoffs. Angel’s Chicago Sky, on the other hand, are struggling to stay alive with an 11-22 card, good for 9th place. They are in danger of getting eliminated from the playoffs, and this could further doom Angel’s chances for the ROY award.

The team performance yardstick is very significant. It tells us how much a player has contributed to the overall development of the team. In the case of the Fever, the team had a 13-27 slate last year, and did not make it to the playoffs. This year, they have shown a significant improvement with the 18-17 card. Meanwhile, the Chicago Sky had an 18-22 slate, and had made it to the playoffs last year. This year, they are currently down to 11-22 despite adding 2 college standouts. The Fever drafted Caitlyn with its draft pick; while the Sky recruited Angel, as well as Kamilla Cardoso, to bolster their respective rosters.

The metrics will tell us that the addition of Caitlyn to the Fever roster has had more positive impact in their win-loss card, as opposed to the Angel-Kamilla duo. It wil be recalled that Caitlyn had lost in the NCAA Finals to both these players; to Angel and the LSU Tigers in 2023, and to Kamilla’s South Carolina Gamecocks in 2024. Now, despite the union of 2 of the most high-profile bigs in the talent-rich draft in Angel and Kamilla, the Sky has not been able to translate their impressive credentials into wins for the team. Currently occupying the 9th position, the Sky are in danger of missing the last bus to the playoffs.

Looking back, I would liken Caitlyn’s style to that of Steve Nash in the early 2000s. Steve was a flashy point guard who had speed. Caitlyn’s up-tempo style of offense is very similar to Steve’s game with the Phoenix Suns. He had the ability to drive hard to the basket; hit the open man with a variety of fancy passes, and he could hit from the 3-pt line if the defense chose to collapse on his driving lane. Steve was the assist leader for a number of years, and was perennially among the top scorers in the league. He made the league MVP in 2005 and 2006, and was a strong contender for the MVP once again in 2007.

As for Angel, I would liken her to Dennis Rodman, the Chicago Bulls’ relentless rebounder in the 90s. Rodman was the NBA’s top rebounder for 7 consecutive years, from 1991 to 98. Dennis was not a scorer, but he was the Bulls’ top defender, apart from securing the rebounds. He would sow terror among the opposing bigs with his uncanny ability to get his hands on the ball. But no, he was never in contention for the league MVP.

Relatedly, one could say that if we were to try to correlate both players with the Golden State Warriors, Angel Reese would be the Draymond Green in the team, while Caitlyn Clark would be Steph Curry. Who made MVP? The shooter, the scorer and passer; before the rebounder. Unless of course, you have such a dominating defensive presence of a Bill Russell, who didn’t need to score.

So there you have it, folks. In the hierarchy of needs, scoring points and assists will always trump rebounds. Angel may have sizzled in the first half of the season, but her stats flounder as her team fizzles. Hence, this will point to Caitlyn Clark as this year’s clear winner of the coveted WNBA Rookie of the Year Award. Angel’s accomplishments this year are certainly one for the books. But Caitlyn has provided us with a far more astounding and convincing performance, whether individually or with the team. Caitlyn then should be cinch for the Rookie of the Year Award. Unless things drastically change in their last 5 regular season games. (Breaking news: Angel Reese won’t be able to play her remaining regular season games due to an alleged injury.)

Cover photo courtesy of Sports Illustrated. Other photos courtesy of The Gist, People, Sportico.com, Glamour, The Cut, NPR, Give U Sports, NBC, ESPN, KGET News. For a closer look, pls click on the pics.