Top Sports Critic Reveals Why Angel Reese Is Ahead Of Caitlin Clark In WNBA Race

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark remains the odds-on favorite for WNBA Rookie of the Year, with Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese considered to be her only true challenger for the award.

If you ask veteran commentator and renowned sports critic Skip Bayless, however, the WNBA Rookie of the Year battle is the other way around. For him, Reese is ahead while Clark is a close second.

Bayless made his opinion about the race extremely clear following the Sky's 93-85 win over the Las Vegas Aces on Tuesday. Reese finished with another double-double, tallying 13 points and 10 rebounds.

While it was Chennedy Carter (34 points) who propelled the Sky over A'ja Wilson and the Aces, Bayless argued that Reese's consistency and overall impact remain impressive.

The 72-year-old TV personality added that Clark's turnover problem doesn't help her case. The Fever sharpshooter has already recorded 139 turnovers through 22 WNBA games, which is the most in a season for any player.

"I still have Angel slightly for R of the Y over Caitlin. She had 13 and 10 tonight in a massive Chicago upset at Vegas. (Yes, Chenedy Carter took the game over with 34 attack-mode points.) Hard to look past Caitlin's record-shattering turnovers. But this race changes nightly," Bayless argued.

To be fair to Caitlin Clark, though, her turnover issue is the only blemish to an otherwise dominant rookie season. She leads all rookies in points (16.8), steals (1.5) and assists (7.8), which is also the best in the entire WNBA.

Clark is also tied with Angel Reese for the best efficiency rating (19.0) among all first-year players. Furthermore, the Fever star is third in blocks (0.9).

Reese, for her part, is better than Clark in just rebounds (11.9) and turnovers (1.8). She did record a 15-game double-double streak that boosted her Rookie of the Year odds, though Clark has also set records of her own (like becoming the first WNBA rookie with a triple-double).

The Fever are also ahead of the Sky in the standings, albeit by just half a game.

Regardless of Skip Bayless' view, it will definitely be interesting to see how the Clark vs. Reese battle turns out at the end of the season.

Related: Chicago Sky Send Intense Warning To WNBA About Chennedy Carter