Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese are having exceptional rookie seasons both on and off the court, which continues to stir up discussions about the WNBA Rookie of the Year award.
Both players entered the league with high expectations and have lived up to them.
Even with both players setting records, Clark is still the leading candidate for the Rookie of the Year award, according to BetMGM Sportsbook. Clark and Reese will face each other for the last time in the regular season when the Indiana Fever play the Sky in Chicago on Friday.
Clark made news again on Wednesday night. After breaking the rookie assists record on August 18, the Fever guard set the rookie record for most 3-pointers made in a win against the Connecticut Sun.
She is averaging 18 points, leading the league with 8.1 assists, and 5.7 rebounds per game. Clark is on track to break the single-season assists record and has had at least 15 points and five assists in 22 games this season, more than any other WNBA player has ever done.
Clark has helped lead the Fever to the most wins since 2016, and the team is likely to make the playoffs for the first time since that season.
“She’s got special, special skills and those open things up for her,” said all-time assist leader Sue Bird. “Her range unlocks so much for her. Her pace of play, she’s either walking or sprinting, she even made a joke about it. That puts a lot of pressure on defense.”
One drawback to Clark’s aggressive style is that it leads to turnovers. Although she leads the league in assists, she also leads the WNBA in turnovers. But Bird, one of the league’s legendary point guards, feels the benefits outweigh the drawbacks.
