WNBA rookie tracker: Caitlin Clark, Fever over .500; Angel Reese grabs rebound mark
All eyes are on the WNBA playoff push with less than a month remaining in the 2024 regular season.
But the most anticipated draft class in league history also continues to draw attention. Caitlin Clark, the No. 1 pick in April, hopes to lead the Indiana Fever back to the postseason for the first time since 2016. And Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso hope to lead the Chicago Sky to the playoffs as well.
Clark and Reese have already etched their names into the record books this season. Clark set the WNBA single-game record with 19 assists, and she is the first rookie in league history to tally a triple-double. Reese set a WNBA record for consecutive double-doubles (15).
We’ll continue to track the top rookie performances every game day throughout the season.
Last updated: Sept. 1
Guard | 6-foot | Game log | Stats
Last time out: Clark had 28 points, 12 assists and 4 rebounds Sunday in the Fever’s 100-93 victory at Dallas. That gives Clark her fourth game this year with at least 25 points and 10 assists, the most in a season in WNBA history. Clark was 10-of-19 overall from the field and 5-of-11 from behind the arc. Clark has 617 points this season in 33 games, the most in Fever franchise history by a rookie. The previous record of 594 by Hall of Famer Tamika Catchings came in 2002 when the WNBA had a 32-game regular-season schedule. The league moved to 40 games last year.
What we learned: With the win over the Wings, the 17-16 Fever have defeated every foe in the WNBA this season except Las Vegas. Indiana had lost its previous game to Dallas, on July 17. The Fever face the Wings once more and the Aces twice more this month. — Michael Voepel
Up next: Los Angeles Sparks on Wednesday (7 p.m. ET, CBSSN)
Forward | 6-foot-3 | Game log | Stats
Last time out: Reese is the only WNBA player who can make a 19-rebound game look almost routine. She also added 17 points, 3 assists and 2 steals in the Sky’s 79-74 loss at Minnesota on Sunday. Reese became the WNBA’s single-season rebounding leader — she’s now at 418 — and did so in fewer games (32) than the two players right behind her on the list: Sylvia Fowles (404 in 2018, 34 games) and Jonquel Jones (403 in 2017, 34 games). Reese also broke the season record for offensive rebounds; after getting seven Sunday, she has 165, topping Yolanda Griffith’s 162 in 32 games in 2001.
What we learned: The Sky have lost six games in a row and match Los Angeles for the league’s worst record — 1-7 — since WNBA play resumed after the Olympics. Chicago and Atlanta, which beat Los Angeles on Sunday, are tied at 11-21 for the eighth and final playoff spot. — Voepel
Up next: at Las Vegas Aces on Tuesday (10 p.m. ET, NBA TV)
Center | 6-foot-7 | Game log | Stats
Last time out: Cardoso was another bright spot in the Sky’s loss at Minnesota: She had a career-high 22 points, making 7 of 11 shots from the field and 8-of-8 from the line. She added nine rebounds and an assist.
What we learned: Although the Sky didn’t win, this game played out offensively more like Chicago wants than some other recent ones have. The ball went to the rookie stars a lot, as Reese and Cardoso combined to go 13-of-27 from the field and 13-of-13 from the line. Compare that with Friday’s loss to Indiana, when Reese and Cardoso were 5-of-13 from the field and 6-of-9 from the line. — Voepel
Up next: at Las Vegas Aces on Tuesday (10 p.m. ET, NBA TV)
Forward | 6-foot-2 | Game log | Stats
Last time out: After going scoreless in the first quarter, after which the Sparks found themselves down 25-12, Rickea Jackson finished with 13 points on 5-for-16 shooting (1-for-4 from 3) in Los Angeles’ 80-62 loss to the Atlanta Dream on Sunday. It was the 10th consecutive game for Jackson hitting double figures in scoring, though coach Curt Miller has been most pleased with her growth as a defender. The former Tennessee standout also finished with four rebounds and three assists, second most on the team.
What we learned: The Sparks dropped their 25th game of the season, a new franchise-worst mark. After recent spurts from Washington and Dallas, Los Angeles is sitting two games below those squads in 12th place in the standings. But Jackson continues to be a bright spot amid the difficult summer, and Sunday she joined legends Candace Parker, Nneka Ogwumike and Lisa Leslie as rookies to score 400-plus points with the franchise. Her 12.6 points per game this season are third most among the rookies, behind Clark and Reese. — Alexa Philippou
Up next: at Indiana Fever on Wednesday (7 p.m. ET, CBSSN)
