What once seemed a foregone conclusion, that Caitlin Clark would walk away with WNBA Rookie of the Year honors, has been thrown into doubt in recent weeks by Angel Reese’s record-breaking play.
Reese earned WNBA Rookie of the Month honors for June and currently boasts a league record 11 straight double-doubles (in the same season).
The Chicago Sky rookie’s recent play has stirred debate on social media and in WNBA circles over who will take home the top rookie award at season’s end.
ESPN’s Get Up tackled the topic Friday, and Monica McNutt argued that in her mind, team success matters more than individual statistics. So she gave her nod to Reese.
“My rookie of the year is going to go based on the standings. … And the Sky right now are in the playoffs. So, you’d have to give the nod in my mind to Angel Reese,” McNutt said.
McNutt went on to point out that Clark has a better surrounding cast, including last year’s No. 1 overall draft pick, Aliyah Boston, than Reese.
“Both of them have been incredibly impressive,” McNutt added.
It’s certainly not a new argument in sports: Given two players with similar stats, many fans believe an individual award should go to the player on the better team. However, that argument is more commonly applied to the MVP Award, and not ROTY.
And McNutt citing team performance to give Reese the nod seems a bit shaky. The Sky entered the day 7-11, a mere half game ahead of the 8-13 Indiana Fever.
ESPN BET odds Friday listed Clark at -550 to win ROTY, with Reese at +350.
Clark is averaging 16 points, 7.1 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game, while Reese has 13.2 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per contest.
The WNBA season is just reaching the halfway point, so this argument is just getting started. Fans overwhelmingly roasted McNutt’s thoughts on the ROTY race.
[Get Up on X/Twitter]
The post Fans roast Monica McNutt’s WNBA Rookie of Year choice appeared first on Awful Announcing .
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