Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
A well-known sportswriter, never shy of hot takes, ripped Chicago Sky star Angel Reese amid debates about if she’s a realistic challenger to Caitlin Clark for WNBA Rookie of the Year honors.
Angel Reese has put together an excellent rookie season in Chicago, averaging 13.5 points, 12 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.8 assists per game through her first 23 contests. She set the league record for consecutive games with a double-double (14), a historic streak that ended in Saturday’s loss to the New York Liberty.
On X/Twitter, veteran sportswriter Jason Whitlock pushed back against the notion that Reese should be in the discussions for Rookie of the Year honors with Caitlin Clark, the overwhelming favorite to win the award.
In a blistering tweet, Whitlock stated Angel Reese is “too unskilled offensively”, struggles with her layups and isn’t All-Star-caliber. Whitlock ended his take by stating that the LSU legend is “being used as a gimmick to diminish Clark.”
Never again. No serious person should ever again discuss Angel Reese as rookie of the year. She's just too unskilled offensively. She struggles to make layups. She's a nice rebounder. She's not an "all star." She's being used as a gimmick to diminish Clark.
— Jason Whitlock (@WhitlockJason) July 13, 2024
Reese is having one of the greatest rookie seasons in WNBA history, but it is hard to envision a scenario where Clark doesn’t win ROTY. Through her first 24 games of 2024, Clark averaged 16.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, 7.8 assists and 1.5 steals per game.
The New York Liberty put 4 players on Angel Reese to make sure she didn’t get her 16th straight double double
This is generational hating 😭😭 pic.twitter.com/EH0DLJeAfD
— Hater Report (@HaterReport_) July 13, 2024
The rivalry between Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese dates back to last year, when the latter taunted the Iowa point in LSU’s national championship game victory. Last month, Reese also told reporters that people aren’t just watching basketball because of Clark, but also because of her.
Angel Reese believes the physical play that Caitlin Clark has experienced isn't new to the WNBA
Just more 👀
"The reason why we're watching women's basketball is not just because of 1 person. It's because of me, too. I want y'all to realize that"
More: https://t.co/3fNUxipTTD pic.twitter.com/1YbGG4mWuL
— GNSportsTV (@GNSportsTV) June 3, 2024
Angel Reese & Caitlin Clark Are In A More Important Battle
While it’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of individual award races, ROTY honors certainly aren’t the main focus for Clark or Reese.
Both their teams have overcome slow starts to climb back into the playoff race. Indiana and Chicago occupy the two final playoff berths, but they’re also within striking distance of the sixth-seeded Phoenix Mercury.
With just over two months remaining in the regular season, Clark and Reese have thrilling playoff races ahead of them, and it’ll be interesting to see how the conclusion of their rookie campaigns play out.
