I think we can safely put Caitlin Clark’s name on the WNBA’s Rookie of the Year trophy already, no?
Granted, the odds are already in her favor. Not that I pay attention to these sorts of things as a man who enjoys a wager or two. I’m certainly not obsessed with these sorts of things. (Although, if you must know, USA Today notes that, as of Aug. 22, she was a -5000 favorite to win the award — meaning you’d need to wager $5,000 to simply win back $100 if she gets ROTY. Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese is second with +1500 odds. I’d still say that Clark would be the better bet. But not that I keep track of these things. Nosiree.) [Ed. Note: Sure, Chris. Sure.]
It’s not just her impressive statline: 18.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, 8.1 assists and 1.4 steals per game, according to ESPN. Nor the fact that, with nine games left in the season, the 15-16 Indiana Fever have already surpassed their win total from last year (a dismal 13–27) and are currently holding on to the No. 7 seed in the playoff picture.
Rather, it’s the fact that Clark continues to break records — including the most three-pointers by a WNBA rookie in league history.
According to The Athletic, Clark managed to hit her 86th shot from beyond the arc during an 84-80 win over the Connecticut Sun on Thursday. The previous record was 85 by 2022 No. 1 draft pick Rhyne Howard of the Atlanta Dream.
Trending:
A step-back beauty from deep.
With this shot, she claims the rookie 3PM crown 👑
📱 IND-CON | League Pass pic.twitter.com/09fPF9AjnI
— WNBA (@WNBA) August 28, 2024
By the end of the game, she had 88 three-pointers on the year, making her the league leader. Kayla McBride of the Minnesota Lynx is just behind her with 87.
It’s worth noting that McBride’s percentage beyond the arc is significantly higher than Clark’s, with the Lynx star hitting 42 percent of her threes compared to 33.3 percent for Clark.
Do you like Caitlin Clark?
McBride has also been in the league since 2014, however — and there’s a reason why rookie records are rookie records. We can’t all be perfect out of the gate.
After all, Peyton Manning led the league in most interceptions in his rookie season — and still ended up with the third-most passing yards. (Only Brett Favre and Steve Young had more.)
He didn’t win the Offensive Rookie of the Year, however, because his main competition for the award happened to be this guy:
On Thanksgiving 22 years ago today, Randy Moss put up one of the most iconic stat lines of all time 🐐 @brgridiron
The 21-year-old rookie had vowed to get revenge on the Cowboys after Dallas passed on him in the draft
(via @nflthrowback)https://t.co/Hdr3vjronK
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 26, 2020
That’s 1998 OROTY Randy Moss famously torching the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving during his rookie campaign. I mention this because Moss’ rookie campaign was sui generis. He did what was expected of him and — beat defenses, make impossible catches, humiliate elite cornerbacks — and then some.
Clark’s rival for WNBA ROTY is, again, Angel Reese, a power forward. Forwards, for those of you who aren’t basketball people, are supposed to control the paint, box opposing players out, grab rebounds and shoot layups.
Reese does three of these things fairly well. One of them … well, let’s just say that when it comes to the ROTY-stakes, we shouldn’t be nitpicking about Clark’s slightly lower shooting percentage than McBride’s from beyond the arc when Reese is routinely doing this:
So yeah, there’s that.
Both Clark and Reese will doubtlessly be stars for years to come, and the on-court rivals may well be credited as a the Bird-and-Magic of the WNBA: The rookie duo who took a moribund league and turned it into an international sports powerhouse.
That being said, when Caitlin Clark is hitting a third of her three-pointers and Angel Reese isn’t cracking 50 percent on shots within five feet of the basket, I think we can just give Clark the ROTY trophy now.
Until it’s officially awarded, however, she can bask in the glory of setting yet another record in her young career.
