The Most Suspenseful Rookie of the Year Race
The 2024 WNBA season is about halfway through, yet it has already been one of the most monumental years for the league. With record highs in attendance, viewership, all-star voting and jersey sales, the league is clearly trending in a positive direction. While there have already been trailblazers in the sport that have carved out hall-of-fame careers, this newfound recognition has been greatly attributed to the 2024 rookie class. With names like Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Cameron Brink, Kamilla Cardoso and many others coming into the WNBA, the buzz around the league has been the loudest it's ever been. These rookies have made a statement, breaking numerous records and providing valuable production to their respective teams. However, with half the season finished, two rookies have risen to the top: Clark of the Indiana Fever and Reese of the Chicago Sky.
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College Crossover
The connection between Clark and Reese in the basketball world has been prevalent for a few years. It started as a moment of competitive trash talk as Reese’s LSU team eliminated Clark’s Iowa Hawkeyes in the 2023 NCAA championship. Reese notably made a hand waving gesture in the waning moments of the game, which is a signature move of Clark’s. Since this moment, the talk surrounding these two amazing players jumped to a different level.
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In their last year of college, both Clark and Reese continued their elite play. Reese won the SEC Player of the Year award and led the LSU Tigers to another Final Four appearance, losing to the Iowa Hawkeyes. Clark went on to break the record for most points in NCAA basketball history and once again made an appearance in the NCAA championship game. This intense college rivalry drew comparisons to another in the 1970s between Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, which became a part of the conversation around these two players. Finally, Clark and Reese declared for the WNBA draft, bringing this rivalry to the highest stage.
WNBA Excellence
Drafted as the first and seventh overall picks in the 2024 WNBA draft, basketball fans around the world were eager to see what Clark and Reese would do at the professional level. With enormous amounts of pressure, Clark and Reese have exceeded expectations. Halfway through the season, Caitlin Clark is averaging 17.8 points, 8.3 assists, 5.8 rebounds and 1.4 steals, while shooting 41.7% from the field and 32.8% from the three point line. Leading the league in assists, Clark has proven to be one the league’s premier playmakers. Clark is best known for her ability to shoot from nearly halfcourt, and has done an amazing job leveraging the space she forces the defense to cover, creating opportunities for herself and her teammates. She plays with a frenetic pace that stuns defenses and leads to multiple fastbreak opportunities for the Fever. After a rough start, Clark has shown better consistency scoring the basketball as well as mitigating her turnovers. She became the first rookie to record a triple-double and became the all-time leader for assists in a season by a rookie with 12 games remaining. Clark’s efforts have led her to become an all-star, and placed her at the top of the Rookie of the Year conversation.
However, Reese has been making a compelling case of her own for the Rookie of the Year award. Reese has averaged 13.6 points, 12.3 rebounds and 1.4 steals. Similarly to Clark, Reese leads the WNBA in offensive and total rebounds and has made her first appearance as an all-star as well. Reese has also broken the record for most consecutive double-doubles with 15 and became the fastest player to reach 20 double-doubles in WNBA history. Reese is also a solid defender that plays above her height as an undersized forward. Showing an impressive level of tenacity, effort and consistency, Reese has made an immediate impact for the Chicago Sky, leaving many to wonder how she fell to seventh in the WNBA draft.
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As the season closes, the talk around the Rookie of the Year race will only continue to swell. With both Clark and Reese performing consistently throughout the NBA season, it will come down to the wire to determine which rookie gets the award. However, the impact that the two players, along with the entire 2024 rookie class, have made on the league is unquestionable. With this inspiring preview, it will be exciting to watch their careers unfold.