Angel Reese’s ‘dirty work’ gets the nod over Caitlin Clark in the ROTY race highlighted by ESPN analyst: “It’s not sexy to battle and rebound inside”
The WNBA Rookie of the Year race will likely come down to Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever and Angel Reese of the Chicago Sky. Clark is the favorite to win the award halfway through the season, but Reese continues to make it interesting. An ESPN analyst even picked the Sky star to win the award at the end of the season.
On a recent episode of “WNBA Countdown,” ESPN’s Carolyn Peck explained why she thought Reese deserved to win ROY over Clark. Peck pointed out the hard work the LSU product puts in every night to get a double-double, as well as the advanced analytics of her production plus the standings.
“It is a thin, thin line. It’s really tight, but when you look at where the teams are. And I also went a little deeper and I looked at plus/minus and I also look at net rating. When you look at that, Angel Reese has to get the nod,” Peck said.
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The veteran analyst added:
“Now, I know it’s not a popular position to take because Angel Reese has to do the dirty work. I have said. It’s not sexy to have to battle and rebound inside where you have to do the blue-collar work. But this is a player that has come in as a rookie and is putting up grown woman numbers.”
.@CAROLYNPECK says Angel Reese has to get the nod for the WNBA ROTY award 🏆
"This is a player who has come in and is putting up grown woman numbers." 😤 pic.twitter.com/Z5OlsgY6YK
— ESPN (@espn) July 7, 2024
Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese have done a lot to be considered worthy of the Rookie of the Year award, although some of the things that Carolyn Peck pointed out are in favor of the Chicago Sky star. While the Sky had a better record at the time she said her opinion, the Fever overtook them on Sunday.
As for advanced statistics, Reese does have the advantage there although the basic stats like points and assists favor Clark. Some might argue that the Indiana Fever star’s turnovers are also an eyesore, but that’s expected since she’s the primary ball handler and playmaker of her team.
Monica McNutt also had Angel Reese winning ROY over Caitlin Clark
Monica McNutt also had Angel Reese winning ROY over Caitlin Clark. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
ESPN’s Monica McNutt also picked Reese to win the Rookie of the Year award over Caitlin Clark in a recent episode of “Get Up.” McNutt prefers measuring a rookie’s impact on winning rather than stats, with Reese’s Chicago Sky having a better record than the Indiana Fever when she said her take.
“My rookie of the year is going to go based off the standings because I think that is how you have to measure impact. And the Sky right now are in the playoffs, so you have to give the nod, in my mind, to Angel Reese,” McNutt said.
"My rookie of the year is going to go based on the standings. … And the Sky right now are in the playoffs. So, you'd have to give the nod in my mind to Angel Reese."
—@McNuttMonica on the WNBA ROTY race between Reese and Caitlin Clark 👀 pic.twitter.com/65CnhbObrL
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) July 5, 2024
It should be pointed out that both the Sky and Fever were in playoff positions when McNutt picked Reese. The Sky were ahead of the Fever by just half a game. But following the Sky’s loss on Sunday, they have switched places, so Clark might be her choice to win the ROY for now.
