Much of the discourse surrounding the WNBA this season has centered around who will be crowned Rookie of the Year at the end of the season. But according to Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark, winning the award is the least of their concerns.
Both rookies are in the midst of incredible seasons, with fans across the nation tuning into the must-watch faceoffs between the Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky. Ahead of Friday’s matchup between the bitter rivals, Reese and Clark were each asked if they were paying any attention to the Rookie of the Year race.
“I think me and Angel would both give you the same answer,” Clark said during a pre-game press conference. “You don’t wake up and think about individual awards. I know that’s what all of you think we do. I know we don’t. That’s what everybody wants to make this about.”
“Both of our teams are competing for playoff spots, that’s our main focus,” she continued. “That’s a selfish thing to just care about an individual award. And she would give you the same exact answer. I’m sure she has given you the same exact answer.
“If you’re playing basketball to win individual awards, no matter what level you’re at, you’re doing it wrong.”
Sure enough, Reese expressed a near-identical sentiment, asserting that the media has placed greater emphasis on the award than the players in line to receive it. “We don’t either care about the Rookie of the Year but you guys, I think you guys have made the big thing. We haven’t,” she said while addressing a room of reporters.
“So I just continue to work within our team. We both want to win. We’ve been wanting to win and that’s what we’ve done in our collegiate career. We played against each other last year and the year before in the March Madness tournament. So we’re just trying to do whatever it takes to win. That’s what’s important right now.”
Though neither Clark nor Reese seem to have much of any interest to be named Rookie of the Year, both players have proven on the court that they’re well-deserving of the accolade.
Entering play Friday, Clark was averaging 18 points, a WNBA-leading 8.1 assists and 5.7 rebounds. Reese, meanwhile, was recording 13.3 points and a league-best 12.9 rebounds per game.
The two rookies are not without their flaws, however. Clark has struggled mightily with her ball security, leading the league with an average of 5.5 turnovers per game. As for Reese, she’s routinely failed to convert on shots around the basket, shooting below 50% from inside of five feet this season.
Regardless, Clark and Reese are far more concerned about the performance of their teams than their individual play. The Fever and Sky actively sit in third and fourth place in the Eastern Conference entering play Friday.
