The WNBA has taken a massive jump during the 2024 season. With the arrival of rookie sensations Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, who play for the Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky respectively, the league gained many new fans and the influx of talent has made the league more entertaining.
While it should not have taken Clark and Reese coming into the WNBA to reach this kind of jump, it’s good to see the league finally receiving the viewership that it is getting.
Now, with both rookie stars vying for the coveted Rookie of the Year award, intriguing is at an all-time high.
There is a distinct line in the sand when it comes to the fans of both rookies. One side will side with Clark no matter what and the other will side with Reese. That has led to very vocal arguments about the Rookie of the Year award.
Despite the differeing viewpoints, the cold hard facts are that Clark is the deserving award winner and it’s not even close.
During the 2024 WNBA season thus far, Clark has played in 26 games. She has averaged 17.1 points per game to go along with 8.2 assists, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.5 steals. She has shot 40.5 percent from the floor overall and knocked down 32.7 percent of her three-point attempts.
On the flip side, Reese has played in 23 games. She has averaged 13.5 points, 12.90 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.5 seals per game. Reese has shot 40.2 percent from the floor.
Clearly, the numbers are impressive on both sides. However, Clark has produced hers the right way and she has simply been better.
Reese has rebounded at a high level, but a lot of those rebounds have come off of her own blown layups. It may not be the defintition of “stad-padding,” as it’s not necessarily intentional, but that has been the final result.
When it comes to the pressure each player has faced from opposing defenses, Clark has had to play through much more game-planning. Each and every night, opposing teams are throwing everything they have defensively at her. Reese cannot say the same.
Clark has also made her teammates better around her. She made that point on Wednesday night, racking up a WNBA record 19 assists. That number set the new all-time high for single-game assists.
In addition to on-court play, which Clark has clearly bested Reese in, Clark has been the primary draw of the WNBA. She has forced teams to move games to bigger arenas just to meet the demand of those fans who want to watch her play.
From a record perspective, Clark has led the Fever to the same record as the Sky currently.
Their rivalry from college may be over, but it has started fresh in the WNBA. On the court they were rivals in college and they were even rivals in the NIL market.
Clark also best Reese from an NIL perspective. On3 had Clark’s NIL valuation at a shocking $3.4 million, while Reese had a valuation of $1.8 million.
In every single aspect, Clark has simply been better. That is not a slight at Reese. She’s an amazing player and will have an impressive WNBA career.
But, when it comes to the Rookie of the Year award, the best player should win. That best player is Clark and the competition is not really that close.
Source link : https://www.si.com/fannation/name-image-likeness/nil-news/indiana-fever-star-caitlin-clark-is-the-obvious-wnba-rookie-of-the-year-evan9
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Publish date : 2024-07-18 14:00:00
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