What once seemed a foregone conclusion, that Caitlin Clark would walk away with WNBA Rookie of the Year honors, has been thrown into doubt in recent weeks by Angel Reese’s record-breaking play.
Reese earned WNBA Rookie of the Month honors for June and currently boasts a league record 11 straight double-doubles (in the same season).
The Chicago Sky rookie’s recent play has stirred debate on social media and in WNBA circles over who will take home the top rookie award at season’s end.
ESPN’s Get Up tackled the topic Friday, and Monica McNutt argued that in her mind, team success matters more than individual statistics. So she gave her nod to Reese.
“My rookie of the year is going to go based on the standings. … And the Sky right now are in the playoffs. So, you’d have to give the nod in my mind to Angel Reese,” McNutt said.
McNutt went on to point out that Clark has a better surrounding cast, including last year’s No. 1 overall draft pick, Aliyah Boston, than Reese.
“Both of them have been incredibly impressive,” McNutt added.
“My rookie of the year is going to go based on the standings. … And the Sky right now are in the playoffs. So, you’d have to give the nod in my mind to Angel Reese.”
—@McNuttMonica on the WNBA ROTY race between Reese and Caitlin Clark 👀 pic.twitter.com/65CnhbObrL
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) July 5, 2024
It’s certainly not a new argument in sports: Given two players with similar stats, many fans believe an individual award should go to the player on the better team. However, that argument is more commonly applied to the MVP Award, and not ROTY.
And McNutt citing team performance to give Reese the nod seems a bit shaky. The Sky entered the day 7-11, a mere half game ahead of the 8-13 Indiana Fever.
ESPN BET odds Friday listed Clark at -550 to win ROTY, with Reese at +350.
Clark is averaging 16 points, 7.1 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game, while Reese has 13.2 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per contest.
The WNBA season is just reaching the halfway point, so this argument is just getting started. Fans overwhelmingly roasted McNutt’s thoughts on the ROTY race.
I can’t think of an award where standings is less relevant than rookie of the year. If you are going to reach for excuses to account for your biases, try harder.
Clark is more impactful to winning in every metric, leads in every statistical category aside from rebounds (would… https://t.co/OLv47VQ6hl
— Haralabos Voulgaris (@haralabob) July 5, 2024
So by this logic, A’ja Wilson, the best player in the league, wouldn’t win MVP because the Aces are currently 5th in the standings? 🤔 https://t.co/SS4QBot5D0
— Wes Reynolds (@WesReynolds1) July 5, 2024
This is exactly how people treat Mike Trout. Clark is the MVP. Doesn’t matter the standings. https://t.co/4KF31dT8Cr
— Kevin Westgirth (@kevinwestgirth) July 5, 2024
Wemby received ROTY by playing on the worst team in the league.@McNuttMonica is an idiot. https://t.co/GbTpV5fZrH
— Matthew Britton (@CardHawk77) July 5, 2024
This is absolutely insane logic. The Sky have a HALF game lead over the fever for one. For two, the Fever were literally the worst team in the league last year. For three, Angel Reese isn’t half the basketball player Caitlin Clark is. Let’s be real here. https://t.co/Vn7wLW9COA
— Colt Smith (@ColtSmith18) July 5, 2024
Basing an individual award on team standings is idiotic in any sport. Particularly a rookie of the year award. The sky were 8th last year and they’re 8th right now by win %. ESPN shows are so terrible. https://t.co/OWiH1gPhE3
— Ash Thompson (@mrtweetson) July 5, 2024
[Get Up on X/Twitter]
