Caitlin Clark is currently the frontrunner for the Rookie of the Year title. This has been the case for the Indiana Fever superstar for pretty much the entire season. At the same time, however, there's no denying that Angel Reese has given her a run for her money.
There are more than a few fans out there who believe that Reese deserves the title as much as Clark -- at least before the Sky went on this horrendous seven-game losing skid . The Fever, on the other hand, have booked themselves a spot in the playoffs for the first time since 2018 behind an incredible five-game winning streak.
If you ask Reese, however, the Sky forward isn't too concerned about the Rookie of the Year race. According to the former LSU star, she's just doing her thing.
"My whole thing was like, when I got drafted, number seven," Reese explained in the debut episode of her podcast " Unapologetically Angel ," which aired on Thursday, September 5. "So I'm like, cool, like, the pressure is not even on me because I'm drafted seven, so the pressure shouldn't be up there.
"So I'm like, all right, cool, I can just hoop. So I don't know when, like, it started to just break out where I was just in Rookie of the Year conversations. I'm like, all right, cool."
For Angel, what's more important is proving her doubters wrong -- especially those who said that she did not have what it takes to make it in the WNBA.
"Everybody told me I was not ready for the league," she continued. "And that's why I got drafted seven. They told me I wasn't ready. I wouldn't play. I would've gotten cut from training camp. I wasn't, like, I was not ready. It wouldn't translate. Obviously, I knew coming to the league, I was going to be able to translate my game.
"And I'm still not where I want to be at all. Like, being able to be at seven and still, like, be able to come in and thrive and work hard every day, that's what's got me to where I am right now. Just literally all hustle. And just being able to just go in every day and grind."
Reese, who is currently averaging 13.3 points , 13.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.3 steals per game, firmly believes that she isn't even close to her full potential. This is exactly why she wants people to cut her some slack.
"So people also need to give that some grace, too," the 22-year-old forward said. "Like, I'm still a rookie. I'm still figuring it out. I'm trying to figure things out."
As for the Rookie of the Year trophy, it's not as if Reese has taken it completely out of her mind. It's just that Angel has much bigger things on her mind than winning this personal accolade.
"So if I am Rookie of the Year, God, thank you," she said. "If I'm not, back to the drawing board. I just want to win. Getting to the playoffs is something I really, really, really want to do. So I'm looking forward to that. I'm not really thinking about Rookie of the Year."
At the moment, the Sky are occupying the eighth and final playoff seed in the WNBA. They are sitting on an 11-22 record, which is tied with the Atlanta Dream. It goes without saying that Reese and Co. will need to get out of this brutal slump as soon as possible in order for them to secure their spot in the postseason.
Chicago has seven games remaining in the regular season, starting with a matchup against the Los Angeles Sparks on Friday, September 6.
Related: Angel Reese Issues Serious Warning to Chicago Sky Amid Brutal Losing Streak
Related: Chicago Sky Coach Delivers Fiery Message to Team Amid Brutal Losing Skid
Related: Chicago Sky Coach Shares Critical Chennedy Carter Injury Update After Seventh Straight Loss
Local News
Comments / 0