We are in the final stretch of the WNBA regular season, and the rookies are shining brightly.
With seven or eight games left for teams, the playoff race is starting to crystallize (the last day of the regular season is Sept. 19; the playoffs begin Sept. 22). Nothing is certain until it is certain, as teams like Dallas And Los Angeles eliminate championship contenders Minnesota and New York, respectively. Nothing comes easy in this league, and the veterans will spend the next two weeks reminding the newcomers of that.
In other words: we’re in for a fun final stretch.
Some of the most impressive signings of the 2024 season, such as Los Angeles Sparks come out Rickea Jackson — probably won’t get more than 40 regular-season games, as their teams are mostly out of the playoff race. But the two biggest rookie stars, Caitlin Clark And Angel Reeseare on the verge of a playoff berth. There’s a reason they top USA TODAY Sports’ final WNBA rookie rankings. Let’s take a closer look:
1. Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever
Statistics after 33 matches: 18.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, 8.4 assists, 1.4 steals
Breakdown: Clark has been nothing short of spectacular since play resumed after the Olympic break, averaging 24.6 points and 9.0 assists in seven games after Paris (turns out the time off did him some good, as he historically reserved for beginners).
Aside from his remarkable individual play, the Fever have looked remarkably better as a team, going 6-1 and currently sitting in sixth place. With their 100-81 victory over fellow rookie Reese and the Chicago Sky on August 30 – giving the Fever a 3-1 record over Chicago this season – Clark has nearly lost it all. won the 2024 Rookie of the Year award price. She leads the league in assists and has already established WNBA rookie records for three-pointers made and assists.
2. Angel Reese, Chicago Sky
Statistics on 32 matches: 13.3 points, 13.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.3 steals
Breakdown: THE Surprise star of 2024 recruiting classReese has been terrific this season, especially on the glass, where she has already established a WNBA single-season rebounding record; Keep in mind this is for the entire WNBA, not just rookies.
It’s true that most of Reese’s rebounds come from his own misses — about a third of them, according to one Awesome deep dive from HerHoopStats. Reese will be the first to say she needs to get more efficient and polished on offense, and she will. In the meantime, there’s no denying her tenacity on the rebound, which has helped Chicago contend for a playoff spot. The Sky’s problems—mostly the fact that they don’t have an experienced guard who can stabilize them—aren’t Reese’s fault. Still, wins matter, and that’s why, for now at least, Reese is trailing Clark in the Rookie of the Year race.
3. Leonie Fiebich, New York Liberty
Statistics after 33 matches: 6.5 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists
Breakdown: Fiebich’s summer with the German national team has clearly given her a confidence boost. Don’t let her stats fool you. The 24-year-old rookie has been a key backup for the championship-contending Liberty this season, especially since returning from the Olympic break. Fiebich was a 2020 draft pick — she was selected in the second round, 22nd overall, by Los Angeles — but didn’t play in the league until this summer. She’s a regular closes games for Liberty and will be crucial in their progression in the playoffs.
4. Kamilla Cardoso, Chicago Sky
Statistics after 26 matches: 9.5 points, 8.1 rebounds, 1.7 assists
Breakdown: Now that she’s fully healthy, we’re starting to see how dominant Cardoso will be at the professional level. Cardoso, like Reese, needs to get better on offense (she has a bad habit of getting stuck under the basket), but that will come with time. She moves well for her size and will only get better. Her play this season has been impressive but sometimes lost in the conversation due to the Sky’s inconsistency (again, not her fault).
5. Rickea Jackson, Los Angeles Sparks
Statistics on 32 matches: 12.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists
Breakdown: Anyone who follows women’s basketball knew that Jackson, a scoring machine in college, would be a force in the WNBA. But I’m not sure any of us anticipated how quickly she would take over games at the professional level. Evidence of that was her 25-point outburst in the Sparks’ game on Aug. 25 in Dallas, and her 19-point performance against the Liberty three days later. A former rookie, she too Cameron Brink regains healthShe and 6’2″ guard/forward Jackson will form a deadly duo. The future looks bright in Los Angeles.
6. Jacy Sheldon, Dallas Wings
Statistics on 32 matches: 5.2 points, 1.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists
Breakdown: Stuck on the bench early in the season, Sheldon has found her niche with the Wings and looks set to be a big part of their rotation for the foreseeable future. She’s a smart defender, likes to get up the pace on offense, and is getting better at taking open opportunities and creating shots for her teammates. Dallas has been hit hard by injuries this season, but the last two games have shown the Wings are eager to show they’re better than their record. Could Sheldon help them make the playoffs?
7. Aaliyah Edwards, Washington Mystics
Statistics after 29 matches: 7.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists
Breakdown: Edwards has started back-to-back games for the Mystics, a testament to her improvement and reliability late in the WNBA season. Edwards is also benefiting from an Olympic break spent with the Canadian national team; while Canada was disappointing at the Paris Games, she got valuable time with and against some of the best pros in the world. At this point, all Edwards really needs is more playing time, and that could come in spades over the next two weeks as Washington tries to clinch a playoff spot. She’s going to be a solid pro for a very long time.
8. Celeste Taylor, Phoenix Mercury
Statistics after 14 matches: 2.0 points, 0.5 rebounds, 0.7 assists
Breakdown: Talk about a fielder. Drafted 15th overall this spring by the Indiana Fever, Taylor was released in late June before being signed to a seven-day contract by the Phoenix Mercury on July 12. She then went to Connecticut on another short-term contract and played one game before returning to the Mercury. In Phoenix, she is drew praise from Diana Taurasi and Natasha Cloud, some of the longest-serving and most accomplished veterans in the league. Taylor hasn’t had an easy journey in her first season as a professional, but we deeply respect the way she continues to show up and work to prove herself.
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This article was originally published on USA TODAY: WNBA Rookie of the Year Rankings: Caitlin Clark a Big Favorite
