Nick Wright’s blunt take about Angel Reese’s Rookie of the Year chances

Angel Reese alongside Caitlin Clark with the WNBA logo in the background, Sky ROY

The WNBA Rookie of the Year race has been a topic of heated debate.

David Yapkowitz

The 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year race will undoubtedly come down to the Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark and the Chicago Sky’s Angel Reese. There are quite a few talented rookies this season, but those two players seem to be the leading contenders. With the WNBA currently on Olympic break, the race will certainly heat up once the season resumes in mid-August.

The Rookie of the Year race has been a topic of interest and has spurred many a heated debate in recent weeks, with Fox Sports analyst Nick Wright arguing that Caitlin Clark currently holds the edge over Angel Reese in the ROY race. During a recent segment of his show, ‘What’s Wright? with Nick Wright,’ Wright outlined why he believes Clark is the favorite over Reese.

“I saw Shaq yesterday come out and say Angel is the Rookie of the Year, she’s not. Could it change post-Olympics, maybe. But right now it’s pretty clear, if we’re doing a fair voting, up to this point if they voted, there should be a unanimous first place and a unanimous second place,” Wright said. “No one should have Angel lower than two, but you can’t make a cogent basketball related argument that Caitlin Clark hasn’t been the Rookie of the Year thus far.”

Both players have been averaging nearly double-doubles this season with Reese in points and rebounds and Clark in points and assists. Reese recently set the WNBA record for most consecutive double-doubles in points and rebounds while Clark just set the record for most assists in a single game.

Resurgent Sky fighting for playoff seed behind Angel Reese

Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese (5) brings the ball up court against the New York Liberty during the second half of a WNBA game at Wintrust Arena.Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
At the end of the day, Angel Reese may not win Rookie of the Year over Caitlin Clark, although the race is still too close to call, but there’s no denying the impact Reese has had on the Sky this season.

The Sky may not have a winning record at the midway point of the regular season, but Reese has helped ignite a fan base and bring a level of excitement to the Sky that they have not had in a while. That’s of course aside from her on the court impact.

Reese’s game is still clearly a work in progress, especially her offensive game, but she brings a level of toughness and physicality and energy that’s infectious when she’s on the court. She has a knack for rebounding, and no she does not ‘stat pad.’

Reese has started all 24 games so far for the Sky, at a little over 31 minutes per game. She’s been averaging 13.5 points, 11.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.4 steals with splits of 40.2 percent shooting from the field and 76 percent shooting from the free-throw line. The Sky are currently 10-14 and in eighth place in the WNBA standings.