Who is going to be the Rookie of the Year? Angel Reese or Caitlin Clark? It’s a rare occasion when the ROTY award race outshines the MVP race. But that’s the popularity of both the stars in contention. On Friday, South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley was asked who she would pick for the ROTY award and she picked Reese over Clark, despite heavily praising the Iowa Hawkeyes alumna just a few months ago. “At this time today, it’s Angel. Without a doubt,” Staley revealed yesterday.

But the 1999 WNBA first-round pick didn’t hold herself back in admitting that Clark was “coming” and the ROTY would depend on who makes it to the playoffs. Taking cognizance of the indecisiveness in the mind of the fans, today Essentially Sports, takes a look at the stats of both the W stars to see if Staley’s answer stands correct.

Caitlin Clark is shining bright for the Indiana Fever

Clark’s performances in the WNBA so far have already shown their effect on the team. Indiana finished last season with a poor 13-27 record and this season they’ve already won 10 times with 16 games still left. Moreover, Clark has dealt with physicality and a lot of jealous murmurs from other W stars for being the center of attention throughout the season.

Another battle for Clark this season has been to match her NCAA performances. Though she hasn’t yet delivered anything close to her 40-point rampages, Clark has made some great adjustments to the W and also blended in well with her team. As of now, Clark averages a decent 16.8 points per game with 5.9 rebounds per game and 7.8 assists per game. In fact, she leads the league in total assists with 188, leading Connecticut Sun’s Alyssa Thomas by 14 assists. Moreover, she leads all rookies in points, assists, and minutes per game.

She has shown that she is a complete player who can perform well in all the major departments. Her shooting skills also have been quite exemplary as she has hit 34.2% three-pointers on 67 made threes. She has made the third most threes this season, trailing the leader Kayla McBride with 70 threes.

Other than that, she has shot 39.8% from the field and 89% from the free throw line. All this points to the fact that she is coming close to her NCAA performance, and it’s time that everyone acknowledges the work she has put in. But are these stats better than those of Reese? Let’s have a look.

Angel Reese has established herself as Chicago’s shining light

Reese’s season so far has been to outdo her competitor, Clark. She has shown a lot of resilience and become a mainstay for her team, the Chicago Sky. As admitted by Reese previously, her practice sessions with her former head coach Kim Mulkey have definitely benefited her as she has taken minimal time to adjust to the W.

Reese currently has a league-record 15 consecutive double-doubles, after she surpassed Candace Parker’s record of 12. She averages 13.8 points per game (2nd in rookies) with 11.8 rebounds per game (Leads the league). Like Clark has been criticized for not matching up to her NCAA performances, Reese has been dealt harshly by the critics for rebounding mostly her own missed shots.

The Maryland-born star has therefore tried to improve her shooting skills and buried her first three-pointer in the game against the Seattle Storm in early July. Thus, Reese has shown that she is working on her weaknesses and giving her best. She has single-handedly helped the Sky in winning a number of games and hence her contribution to the team cannot be ignored. She has averaged 41.1% field goals and 75.2% free throws. But does that make her deserving of winning the ROTY over Clark?

Chicago is just below Indiana in the standings and currently sits at the 8th spot with a 9-13 record. However, unlike Indiana, Chicago was already a decent team before Reese arrived. The Sky made the postseason last year as the 8th seed but were swept in the 1st round by the eventual champions, the Las Vegas Aces. So in terms of improving the team’s position on the table, Clark has done way more than Reese.

As Staley expressed, a lot will depend on which team makes it to the playoffs and has a better run this season. And since Reese and Clark are quite close, the final decision will rest upon which star helps their team to a better record by the end of the regular season. Till then, both the stars can look to give their best and battle neck to neck.

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, has to say about the infamous Shaq-Kobe feud, Caitlin Clark’s Olympic snub, and more, watch this video.