WNBA: Rookie of the Year credentials for Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese

As WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert discovered last week, discussing rookie rivals Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese can be fraught, as comparisons of on-court performances often implicate racial and gender biases that should not go unchecked.

Here, we’re going to celebrate the star rookies from the Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky. The achievements and abilities of both deserve attention in Rookie of the Year assessments.

Łukasz Muniowski takes a look at the historic accomplishments of Caitlin Clark, while Edwin Garcia praises the persistent impact of Angel Reese.

Caitlin Clark (Indiana Fever)

Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images

The MVP. The player most instrumental to her team’s success.

Let’s focus on that for a moment. The Indiana Fever are third in the league in points per game, offensive rating and pace. Last year, they were seventh, sixth and 10th, respectively. While there was some growth involved with this young team, the arrival of Caitlin Clark sped up its development by a year or two, at least. The playoffs seemed a lofty goal prior to the start of the season, but they made it.

Individually, despite some early-season struggles, Clark came as advertised. 19.5 points, 8.4 assists and 5.7 rebounds? These are Candace Parker rookie year-like numbers. Add to that numerous rookie records broken and the exposure that Clark provides the league, and the discussion shouldn’t be about why Clark should win the award, but why she shouldn’t. — Łukasz Muniowski

Angel Reese (Chicago Sky)

Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Angel Reese has outperformed all expectations during her rookie campaign. It’s clearly been a two-player race for Rookie of the Year between Reese and Caitlin Clark all season, but on draft night, they weren’t selected No. 1 and No. 2. Clark was the top choice, and Reese was selected with the No. 7 pick. Even her own team, the Chicago Sky, selected Kamilla Cardoso over her, taking the South Carolina Gamecock with the No. 4 pick.

Now that we’ve seen the entire season play out, it’s clear Reese is, at worst, the second-best player this year and has a strong case for Rookie of the Year. The Bayou-Barbie turned Chi-Barbie has dominated the league, averaging 13.6 points and 13.1 rebounds per game. Those boards are just unreal for a rookie; they are league-leading. The WNBA remains a big-based league, and physicality is one of the biggest struggles for rookies coming in. Reese has handled it just fine and has gotten the better of her peers more often than not.

A season-ending wrist injury cut Reese’s rookie year short and robbed us of seeing her helping the Sky make a playoff push and take a shot at one of the league’s best in the opening round. This is unfortunate, but it doesn’t diminish what she’s accomplished. Reese will undoubtedly make the All-Rookie Team and has made a strong argument for ROTY. Now, it’s just a matter of whether the voters will give her that honor. — Edwin Garcia