WNBA Rookie Rankings: Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese make history, remain top two after 2024 Paris Olympics break
The WNBA is back in action and so are the CBS Sports WNBA Rookie Rankings. Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese have not missed a beat, as they made history yet again in the first weekend following the Olympic break.
Clark is atop the list this week after setting the WNBA’s single-season rookie assists record. Reese is her biggest competition for Rookie of the Year, and she also made history Sunday by becoming the fastest WNBA player to collect 20 double-doubles.
Reese is a rising star with the Chicago Sky, but so is former South Carolina center Kamilla Cardoso, who played her best game of the season in a win against the Los Angeles Sparks.
Meanwhile, Sparks forward Rickea Jackson and Washington Mystics forward Aaliyah Edwards remain on the list while continuing to be productive and impactful despite their teams currently sitting at the bottom of the WNBA standings.
Here is a closer look at the latest CBS Sports WNBA Rookie Rankings:
1. Caitlin Clark
With plenty of WNBA basketball still remaining in 2024, the former Iowa star already set a new single-season WNBA rookie assists record. The previous record was 225, set by Ticha Penicheiro with the Sacramento Monarchs in 1998.
Clark’s historic moment happened in the third quarter of the Fever’s 92-75 win against the Seattle Storm on Sunday. Quite on brand, Clark gave us a flashy highlight as she sent a full-court assist to Kelsey Mitchell.
Clark did a little bit of everything in that game as she finished with 23 points, nine assists, five rebounds, a steal and two blocks. There is still more for Clark to accomplish in the 12 regular-season games remaining for the Fever, as she has a chance to surpass Alyssa Thomas’ WNBA single-season record of 316 assists.
2. Angel Reese
Reese is also having a historic rookie season. During Sunday’s loss to the Phoenix Mercury, Reese tallied 19 points on 50% shooting while adding 20 rebounds. In the process, she became the fastest WNBA player to register 20 double-doubles as it only took her 27 games.
The former LSU standout is leading the league with 12.3 rebounds per game — 5 offensive and 7.3 defensive. Reese has to get more consistent when it comes to scoring around the rim, but she is still a very strong Rookie of the Year candidate.
3. Kamilla Cardoso
Cardoso is another impactful rookie for the Sky, and she reminded everyone of that during her team’s 90-86 win over the Sparks on Saturday. Cardoso had perhaps the best game of her young WNBA career as she lifted the Sky with 15 points while going 6-for-9 from the field. She also tallied a career-high 14 rebounds, three assists and two blocks. That was her fourth double-double of the season.
“Play with Killa if you want!” South Carolina coach Dawn Stalely posted on X. “[Kamilla] keep proving these hater wrong! They’re so fair weather! We are riders over here!!”
4. Rickea Jackson
The Sparks are on a four-game losing streak and their road to the playoffs will be a difficult one. But no matter what, they can feel optimistic about the future with Jackson on the roster. Despite an 87-71 loss to the Aces on Sunday, Jackson posted 15 points on 7-for-11 from the field, adding five rebounds, an assist, two steals and a block.
Jackson has scored at least 12 points in nine of her last 10 games.
5. Aaliyah Edwards
The Mystics, along with the Sparks, have the worst record in the WNBA at 6-21. But despite only averaging about 22 minutes per game, Edwards has a lot of potential and has been one of the most impressive rookies in 2024. She can contribute on both ends of the floor and currently has the best field goal percentage (49.1%) of all the first-year players.
The former UConn star is averaging 8.5 points while also leading the Mystics in rebounds with 5.8 per game.
