When Angel Reese was on her double-double streak in June and July, many journalists including Stephen A. Smith sided with Reese and claimed she would be sweeping this year’s Rookie of the Year award. If Reese does magic, how could Caitlin Clark be far behind? Clark scored her first triple-double against the New York Liberty which shifted the momentum in her favor. Next, Reese scored a double-double during the WNBA All-Star game which again had a lot of her fans crowning her with the ROTY award. Amid the battle, a certain ESPN employee claims that Reese’s not-so-sexy performance can lead to her trailing behind Clark in the ROTY award list.

Elle Duncan was present on her namesake show The Elle Duncan Show on Friday when she spilled the beans on why Reese might not be able to clinch the coveted award. Her arguments were well supported by stats that made them all the more believable. And fans received them with mixed emotions. “I mean Angel Reese in all fairness is doing the same thing. She’s also making history like the triple-double was by the way against Liberty…What Angel Reese does though is not as flashy, right? Like, it’s not triple-doubles, it’s not a ton of scoring in that way. It’s double-doubles which is like the Tim Duncan style, right? It’s like not sexy but so incredibly important,” Duncan stated.

“Like, I said her double-doubles are already the most in the league and that’s tied for second-most by a rookie all time. She’s probably going to break that. She, at one point, was on the longest double-double streak that we’d ever seen. The only other person that had done that as a rookie was Candace Parker. So, she’s also making history. If we’re just looking at historical context and doing things we haven’t seen before like Angel Reese is doing the same thing. I am still giving it to Caitlin just based on how difficult it is for that game to translate,” Duncan added, via The Elle Duncan Show. 

There is no denying that Reese has been having a spectacular season. She scored 15 consecutive double-doubles, breaking Candace Parker’s record for most back-to-back double-doubles (12 during the 2009-10 season). Clark’s fans would have hoped that Reese stop at that. Instead, the Chi-Town Barbie extended her double-double tally to 18, though they weren’t consecutive yet they were important for the Chicago Sky. As per Yahoo Sports, the record for the most double-doubles as a rookie is held by Tina Charles (22) and Reese has come quite close to surpassing that. However, as per Duncan, Reese’s performance isn’t as sexy as that of Clark.

While Reese is known for her double-doubles, Clark is popular for her scoring ability. The Iowa-alum hit 29 points in her most recent game against the Phoenix Mercury on Friday which left a lot of fans in awe as she missed her highest WNBA game score of 30 just by a singular point. Moreover, while Clark averages a whopping 17.6 points per game, Reese averages a decent 13.4 points per game and is known more for her rebounding abilities in defense. Therefore, as per Duncan, Reese’s average scoring games could be the reason why the ROTY might slip past her. Duncan’s co-host Gary Striewski confirmed the same.

Elle Duncan’s co-host Gary Striewski sides with the ESPN employee

“Stop the count. Stop the fight. She’s (Caitlin Clark) the WNBA Rookie of the Year,” Striewski mentioned moments before Duncan’s take. The Chicago Sky were the WNBA champions during the 2021 season whereas the Fever had last made it to the playoffs during the 2016 season. As per Striewski, the number seven-seeded Fever had a bigger task of team rebuilding since they were stranded for quite a few years, and nonetheless, have accomplished it better than their competitors, Chicago. And Clark is one of the major athletes behind it.

Hence, as per Striewski, the debate shouldn’t continue for long as Clark has been successful in doing something far tougher and therefore, should walk on the podium when the WNBA ROTY award is announced.

While journalists might still debate on who could bag the ROTY, one thing is clear both Reese and Clark have given their best. And now it’s time to throw the question to the audience. Who do you think can win the ROTY award? Let us know in the comments below.

Stay tuned for more such updates and join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger.