Final Four Rookies for ROY Award
The 2024 WNBA draft class came in with a lot of hype. They have delivered in bringing more eyes to the sport while putting in work on the court as well. While Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark have garnered much of the well-deserved attention, this rookie class will have an impact on the game for years to come. However, with only three weeks remaining in the regular season, there is enough body of work to start seeeing who the finalists will be for Rookie of the Year. While this list is limited to four, it should be noted that had she not suffered a season-ending injury, Cameron Brink of the Sparks would be considered.
Caitlin Clark- Indiana Fever
The overall #1 pick in the draft and arguably the biggest name in the game right now, Clark has had to deal with more stuff that hasn’t had to do with her game than the game itself. To this point she has handled herself well. Clark has been unfairly targeted because of her race and has been pitted against her college nemesis Reese by fans, media and those with political agendas. She has been able to focus through the distractions and have a pretty damn good season thus far.
Clark is averaging 18 points a game to go along with eight assists and six rebounds. She is shooting 90 percent from the free throw line and has made 81 three pointers while shooting 32 percent from behind the arc. The best part of her game is how she has made her team better. Clark is a playmaker. She has made veteran defenders look foolish this year with some of her passes and her court-vision is one of the best I’ve seen. If the Fever had a few more finishers on their roster, there is no-telling how many assists she could really have. Proof of this was shown in the All-Star game where she finished with a game-high 10 assists. Clark’s main weakness has been her turnovers, in which she averages five a game. Another element of her game she needs to work on is controlling her emotions. She has gotten technical fouls at critical moments in games that has hurt her team. Her own father at one point has even been seen yelling at her to just “shut up and play.” Clark must also improve on her shooting percentage, which currently stands at 41 percent. But with her ability to get to the basket, create her own shot and deadliness from behind the arc, she has still been a handful for teams to defend this year and will be for years to come. She is currently on a streak of four straight games of scoring 20 points or more.
Rickea Jackson- Los Angeles Sparks
The only thing that has slowed Rickea Jackson down this season has seemingly been her playing time. Her minutes have fluctuated up and down during the season but in the last couple of weeks she has been getting 30+ a game. As a result, all of her numbers have gone up as well. The #4 overall pick out of Tennessee is coming on strong late in the season to force her way into the ROY conversation.
Jackson is now averaging 12 points a game and is coming off a career high 25 points against Dallas on Sunday. Jackson’s game has transcended well to the pro level, with strong mid-range skills and ability to score in isolation, she is only expected to get better as she gets stronger and learns what defenders in the league are trying to take away from her. Jackson has also shown the ability to make tough shots with defenders on her. She dibbles the ball well for a forward and because of that she will have to improve a touch on getting more of her teammates involved, but that is tough with veteran Dearica Hamby on the team, who is also a forward. That said Jackson is quietly making a name for herself around the league and seems more than content to let Reese and Clark get all the hype for now. If she cush her scoring average up a bit more in these final three weeks by consistenly putting up 20 a game, she could be the wildcard factor in ROY voting.
Kamilla Cardoso- Chicago Sky
Coming into the league off a NCAA championship, Cardoso went from a long college season, a week of celebrating a title and was thrust right into the fire. A shoulder injury during the preseason forced her to miss some games early in the season and she was then put on a minutes restriction when she was finally cleared to play. This took valuable practice and game time away from Cardoso and slowed her transition into the league. That said, lately she has been finding her groove with her team. While averaging nine points and eight rebounds per game, Cardoso isn’t having the big number year that some may have been expecting. But she has been very efficient. She put up a career high in points (18) and minutes (37) on August 15th in a two-point loss to Connecticut. Similar to Jackson, the more Cardoso plays, the better her numbers. Perhaps some of the reason her minutes were down is because of conditioning, one of the things she has said she needs to work on during the off season. That said, Cardoso is a defensive presence inside. She alters many shots and has 28 blocks in 23 games this season.
Chennedy Carter has been the main scorer for the Sky this year. Cardoso will have to get more aggressive in demading the ball when she is posted up on the block if she wants to see her numbers increase. She is shooting 51 percent from the field, which screamas that she needs to shoot the ball more. She could also improve her mid-range game in the offseason so it can open up even more of her potential scoring ability. While she probably won’t win ROY, she is a player who could have a big breakout season in 2025, which would present big problems for the rest of the W.
Angel Reese- Chicago Sky
Just like Clark, Reese has had to deal with her share of racist stupidity from society along with sexism and body-shaming. Reese has also been criticized for daring to go to the MET Gala in New York during the season, where she dazzled on the red carpet and made one security officer almost loose his mind and job. Despite the outside noise, Reese has been able to put together a very solid rookie campaign on a rebuilding Sky team. She has set the WNBA record for most consecutive double-doubles during a season and has been strong defensively throughout the year. She is currently averaging nearly 14 points a game to go along with 13 rebounds. Her gritty attitude fits in perfectly with Chicago culture and her toughness is loved by fans around the league. Reese arguably has the biggest heart amongst all the rookies.
However Reese’s weaknesses are also on full display. Her shooting percentage for a post player is horrific (39%) with many of her misses coming from point-blank range. If you didn’t know her any better, you would think she is intentionally padding her stats, but she isn’t. In her last game she got four offensive rebounds in one possession. Problem is they were all off of her own missed layups and the Sky lost the game by two. Reese has to become a better finisher around the basket in order to become a better player and for Chicago to become a winning franchise again. She could also use some work on her mid-range game.
Even with her weaknesses, Reese must still be considered for the ROY award. Her rebounding has been Dennis Rodman-esque and without her, the Sky don’t win as many games as they have this season. Reese has also been a great teammate, sticking up for others and not being afraid to deliver a hard foul or two. Like Clark, Reese could also exercise more restraint in communiciating with the referees as she got a rash of technical fouls early in the year. Reese showcased a lot of her potential during the WNBA All-Star game this year as she scored 12 points and secured 11 rebounds against one of the best teams ever put together.
Right now the race for ROY is too close to call. These final three weeks could be the difference in who the voters choose. One thing is for sure, this rookie class has elevated the league to an unprecedented level and that is something we can all agree on.