Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese: the battle for ROY

Caitlin Clark is rested and ready. So is Angel Reese. The rest of the US women aren’t exactly rested, but they’re coming off Paris gold that climaxed with one of the most exciting hoops gold medal games in history, and they get a few days to catch up with their jet lag and roll into the second half of this landmark WNBA season.

All eyes will be on Clark and Reese after the Olympics, and their epic battle for Rookie of the Year promises to get even feistier. It’s already featured some serious battles, both on and off the floor, along with some rookie records and physical fouls that have brought an unprecedented level of attention to the WNBA.

The games haven’t started yet, so let’s focus on their matchup. It’s a fascinating case of positional apples vs. oranges, and yet it’s one of the best rivalries we’ve seen in pro basketball for a long time.

Photo byMarkus SpiskeonUnsplash

Caitlin Clark vs. Angel Reese, by the numbers and head-to-head

For those who haven’t been living in a cave, Caitlin Clark is the WNBA’s up-and-coming answer to Steph Curry. She was a brilliant shooter at Iowa, and she’s expanded her game as a floor general, averaging just over 17 points a game for the Fever while posting an impressive 8.2 assists per game.

Her three-point percentage is low at just over 32 percent, and Clark’s turnover rate of more than five a game is a concern as well, but most experts consider those rookie issues that will be smoothed out over time, especially since she’s proven to be a fast learner at the pro level.

Angel Reese, meanwhile, is a completely different player, position-wise. She makes her living in the paint and on the boards, and what she’s done to date has been impressive, to say the least. Reese has been a double-double machine, averaging 13.5 points and 11.9 rebounds to date. Her shooting percentages of 40 percent and 20 percent from downtown represent obvious concerns, but once again, most experts expect that number to improve considerably as her rookie learning curve continues.

The head-to-head matchups don’t mean much, given how different they are, but they certainly are a benchmark for fans. They’ve met three times, including a pair of one-point thrillers, their third matchup was especially telling, with Clark getting 17 points and 13 assists, while Reese countered with 25 points and 16 rebounds as the Sky got the win.

Their next battle takes place on August 30th in Chicago, and it’s a marquee game that’s doubtless circled by every serious WNBA fan, not to mention hoops fans in general.

Clark vs. Reese, Team vs. Team

The Fever and the Sky enter the second half almost tied for third in the Eastern Conference, just over ten games behind the conference-leading Liberty. That puts them down toward the bottom of the overall playoff standings, but that doesn’t mean this race won’t be closely watched.

Indiana would seem to have a slight edge there. The league gave the Fever a brutal early season schedule to capitalize on Clark’s overwhelming fame and popularity and pump up viewership and eyeballs in the process. The Fever got crushed by that early schedule, but they rebounded nicely to post a four-game winning streak and go 9-4 before the break.

The Sky season, meanwhile, has been much more of an adventure. It includes a four-game losing streak, and Chicago has yet to win two in a row. It feels like they need a serious winning streak to become a genuine threat to Indiana, which isn’t out of the question, but their results to date don’t point to that possibility.

Clark vs. Reese: What’s at Stake

When it comes to playoff positioning, the stakes are tricky to assess. The two teams are currently running neck-and-neck for the final two playoff spots, and they have a three-game cushion over the Atlanta Dream at the moment. If that positioning holds, it means a first-round matchup with one of the league’s best, i.e., the New York Liberty, Connecticut Sun, etc.

Award-wise, the obvious stakes are the ROY award, which is also a neck-and-neck battle. Clark is the easy choice because of her overwhelming widespread appeal and popularity, but when it comes to basketball impact, it’s a lot closer to a coin flip.

At a broader level, though, there’s actually far more at stake. ROY, for one--Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese are the current faces of the WNBA, the Olympic champs notwithstanding. Keeping their rivalry going at a Feverish pace (sorry) is the key to the league’s ongoing explosive growth. That makes it a lot easier to root for both of them, as true basketball fans want to see this rivalry to stay as heated and competitive as possible.

Article originally written by Bob McCullough