WNBA award voters face a tough decision between Indiana's Caitlin Clark and Chicago's Angel Reese for this season's rookie of the year award. Both players have had historic seasons, with Clark setting new marks for points, assists, and 3-pointers, while Reese is on pace to break the record for rebounds per game.
Indiana Fever's Caitlin Clark and Chicago Sky's Angel Reese have both had remarkable rookie seasons in the WNBA. Clark has been a scoring machine, averaging 18.4 points per game, while Reese has been a rebounding force, averaging 12.9 rebounds per game. Both players have also shown the ability to impact the game in other ways, with Clark averaging 8.3 assists per game and Reese averaging 1.6 blocks per game.
Clark has the edge in terms of statistics, but Reese has been more consistent. Clark has had some big games, but she has also had some games where she has struggled. Reese, on the other hand, has been more consistent, putting up solid numbers in every game.
The head-to-head matchup between Clark and Reese on Friday night was a microcosm of their seasons. Clark led the Fever to a 100-81 win, scoring 31 points and dishing out 12 assists. Reese finished with 16 points and 16 rebounds, but she also had 7 turnovers.
In the end, the WNBA rookie of the year award may come down to what voters value more: Clark's explosiveness or Reese's consistency. Both players have had impressive seasons, and they are both deserving of the award.
Caitlin Clark's averages for the season to this point: 18.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, 8.3 assists per game.
That’s never been done over a full WNBA season. By anyone, rookie or otherwise.
For context, only two other players — Sabrina Ionescu (twice) and Alyssa Thomas — have averaged 15.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and five assists over a full season. Candace Parker had averages of 19.4 points, 10.1 rebounds and 6.3 assists in 2015 but appeared in only 16 games.
Clark also has the WNBA record for 3-pointers made by a rookie, 93 and counting, and has a shot at the league's single-season record of 128 by Ionescu in 2023. Only six players in WNBA history have made 100 3s in a season; at her current pace, Clark is two or three games from hitting that milestone.
Clark also has 14 games of 20 or more points this season. Everyone else in the rookie class, combined, had nine entering Saturday.
Angel Reese is averaging 13.2 points and 12.9 rebounds per game this season.
Those numbers are good for second and first in the WNBA, respectively.
Reese is also on pace to break the WNBA record for rebounds per game. Sylvia Fowles grabbed 11.9 per game in 2018. That’s a significant margin statistically. Reese is so far ahead of the record pace that she could average "only" nine rebounds per game the rest of the way and still set the league mark.
Reese has also had 23 double-doubles this season, which is a WNBA rookie record.
The previous record was 22, set by Tina Charles in 2010.
Reese has also had 15 consecutive double-doubles this season, which is three games longer than any previous streak in WNBA history.
Caitlin Clark has committed 174 turnovers this season, which is the most in WNBA history.
That number is likely to be a concern for voters, as turnovers can be a killer in close games.
Angel Reese is shooting just 38.6% from the field this season.
That number is below the league average of 44.0%.
Reese's shooting percentage is likely to be another concern for voters, as it could be a sign that she is not yet ready to be a star in the WNBA.
Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese have both had impressive rookie seasons, but Clark is the clear favorite for the WNBA rookie of the year award.
Clark has better statistics, and she has shown that she can be a more dynamic player than Reese.
Reese is a solid player, but she is not yet as good as Clark.
