At this point in the season, there is very little doubt, if any, that Caitlin Clark will be named the WNBA Rookie of the Year. The Indiana Fever guard has been nothing short of incredible in her debut campaign, making her an easy choice for the coveted individual award.
ESPN certainly agrees with this notion. In their most recent iteration of the WNBA end-of-season awards, it was announced that Clark is the network’s unanimous choice for the Rookie of the Year title.
“Clark has had not just one of the best rookie years in WNBA history, but an outstanding season for a player of any level of WNBA experience,” wrote Michael Voepel. “She is averaging 19.5 points, a league-best 8.3 assists, 5.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals. She has set the WNBA single-season record for assists (329) and has helped the Fever make it back to the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
“Everything the Fever could have hoped for in picking Clark No. 1 — including a gargantuan surge in attendance and merchandise sales — has happened.”
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) shoots over Dallas Wings center Teaira McCowan (15).
https://x.com/IndianaFever/status/1836152475541250080
© Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
This latest development has prompted a strong reaction from the Fever, who issued a two-word statement after ESPN’s latest announcement.
“easy choice 😮💨” the Fever wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Interestingly enough, ESPN is also adamant about Clark’s MVP credentials. She won’t be winning the title — Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson is the unanimous choice for this one — but the network believes that Caitlin “almost certainly also will be named on some MVP ballots.” This is given the fact that voters are asked to list down five MVP candidates in their respective ballots.
Finally, ESPN has also predicted that Clark will be an All-NBA First Team member alongside Wilson, Napheesa Collier (Minnesota Lynx), Breanna Stewart (New York Liberty) and Kayla McBride (Lynx).
Needless to say, it has been quite a rookie year for the 22-year-old.
