Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese top the WNBA rookie power rankings following record-breaking performances.
The 2024 WNBA draft class entered the league with a record 2.45 million viewers, and as the midway point of the regular season draws near, the rookie class hasn’t stopped rewriting the history books. Over the weekend, Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever, the first overall choice, made league history by becoming the first rookie to register a triple-double. Additionally, Angel Reese of the Chicago Sky, the seventh overall choice, broke the record for straight double-doubles. In their first season in the league, Clark and Reese received their first selections to the 2024 All-Star team.
Top-ranked WNBA rookies by USA TODAY Sports are Clark and Reese: 1. Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever: 16.1 points, 6.0 rebounds, 7.4 assists, and 39.3% field goal percentage through 22 games Breakdown: Professional athlete Caitlin Clark is accustomed to shattering records at the collegiate level. The Fever defeated the New York Liberty 83-78 on Saturday, and she recorded the first rookie triple-double in WNBA history with 19 points, 13 assists, and 12 rebounds. Clark not only achieved a triple-double for the first time in the Fever’s history, but he also became the league’s fastest player to record 350 points and 150 assists. In terms of scoring and assists, she tops all rookies.
2. Angel Reese, Chicago Sky: 14.1 points, 11.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 41.8% field goal percentage through 20 games Breakdown: The 6-foot-3 big passed Candace Parker (12) for the most double-doubles in WNBA history with her 17 points and 14 rebounds in the Sky’s 84-71 loss to the Seattle Storm on Sunday. Must we say anything more? Reese leads the league in both offensive rebounds (97) and total rebounds (237) and has earned a double-double in 14 of her first 20 games.
“I simply go about doing my work. I’m going to go out there, do my job, and comeback because that’s what it is that I do. “I’ve committed to that because I know it’s what my teammates need me to do,” Reese stated following a career-high 27 points in the Sky’s 88-84 victory over the Storm on July 5. 3. Los Angeles Sparks player Rickea Jackson Figures after 22 games: 10.7 ppg, 44.9% FG, 3.6 rpg, 1.1 apg
Breakdown: Rickea Jackson has been a bright spot in Los Angeles even if the Sparks have lost ten of their last eleven games. In the Sparks’ 84-78 loss to the Phoenix Mercury on Sunday, she scored a career-high 22 points, her 12th in her first 22 games. She trails only Reese (14.1) and Clark (16.1) in rookie scoring per game.
4. Kamilla Cardoso, Chicago Sky: 44.3% FG, 8.2 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 1.1 bpg through 14 games Breakdown: Despite missing the first six games of the season due to a shoulder injury, two-time NCAA champion Kamilla Cardoso is starting to regain her form. In the Sky’s 84-71 loss to the Seattle Storm on Sunday, she only managed six points, but she was a monster on the defensive end, registering a career-high four blocks, eight rebounds (all in the first quarter), and one steal. Cardoso is second among rookies in rebounds per game (7.8) and second in rookie blocks per game (1.1), behind only Cameron Brink (2.3).