On Thursday, ESPN updated its rookie rankings for the WNBA 2024. On the list, freshman Angel Reese of the Chicago Sky was placed first, and rookie Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever was ranked second.
They ranked Reese higher than Clark based on sophisticated measures. “Reese’s narrow edge in PER comes from her stat totals like her numerous double-doubles; she has 22 (including a streak of 15 straight at one point), which is tied for the third most in a WNBA season, just six off of the Connecticut Sun’s Alyssa Thomas’ record from last season,” Neil Paine of ESPN wrote. “And finally, Reese leads sizably over Clark in WS (win shares) because of individual efficiency ratings,” the writer wrote.
Reese is up 4 net points per 100 (104 offensive rating versus 100 defensive rating) on the possessions she is solely accountable for, while Clark is down 7 net points (101 offense, 108 defense). That strategy has obvious drawbacks because it ignores usage rate, which favors Reese over Clark 26.5% to 22.0%. However, usage rate is a significant factor in the WS calculation and the main reason why our consensus average favors Reese over Clark.”
On social media, Clark’s ardent fan following is outraged that ESPN chose Reese over Clark, despite what the eye test indicates from watching these two rookies throughout August.
It’s evident from betting that Clark is a heavy favorite to win the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year award, regardless of what ESPN or their stats may say. Not to mention that the Chicago Sky are plummeting in the WNBA standings while Clark’s Fever team is 4-1 in August. Fans of Clark will be talking about this rating on ESPN for a long time.