Admin July 10, 2024
Diana Taurasi reflects on her 20 years in the WNBA
Sports Seriously’s Mackenzie Salmon asks WNBA legend Diana Taurasi how the last 20 years in the league have treated her.
Sports Seriously
The 2024 WNBA draft class came into the league making history, drawing a record 2.45 million viewers to the draft in April, and the rookies haven’t stopped rewriting the history books as the halfway point of the regular season approaches.
The Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark, the first overall pick, became the first rookie in league history to record a triple-double over the weekend. And the Chicago Sky’s Angel Reese, the No. 7 overall pick, set a record for consecutive double-doubles. Clark and Reese were named to the 2024 All-Star team, earning their first selection in their first year in the league.
Clark and Reese top USA TODAY Sports’ WNBA rookie power rankings:
1. Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever
Stats through 22 games: 16.1 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 7.4 app, 39.3% FG
Breakdown: Caitlin Clark is used to breaking records at the collegiate level, and now she’s doing it in the pros. She recorded 19 points, 13 assists, and 12 rebounds in the Fever’s 83-78 win over the New York Liberty on Saturday to mark the WNBA’s first rookie triple-double. In addition to becoming the first Fever player in franchise history to score a triple-double, Clark also became the fastest player in the league to record 350 points and 150 assists. She leads all rookies in scoring and assists.
2. Angel Reese, Chicago Sky
Stats through 20 games: 14.1 ppg, 11.9 rpg, 1.5 spg, 41.8% FG
Breakdown: The 6-foot-3 forward scored 17 points and 14 rebounds in the Sky’s 84-71 loss against the Seattle Storm on Sunday to mark her 13th consecutive double-double, passing Candace Parker (12) for the most in WNBA history. Do we need to say more? Reese has recorded a double-double in 14 of her first 20 games and leads the league in offensive rebounds (97) and total rebounds (237).
“I just go out there and do my job. My job is to rebound, so I’m going to go out there and do my job and rebound. I know that’s what my teammates need me to do, and I’ve committed to that,” Reese said after dropping a career-high 27 points in the Sky’s 88-84 win over the Storm on July 5.
3. Rickea Jackson, Los Angeles Sparks
Stats through 21 games: 10.9 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 1.5 apg, 45.3% FG
Breakdown: The Sparks may have dropped nine of their past 10 games, but Rickea Jackson has been a bright spot in Los Angeles. She dropped a career-high 22 points in the Sparks’ 84-78 loss to the Phoenix Mercury on Sunday and has reached double figures in 12 of her first 21 games. She is third in rookie scoring per game, trailing only Clark (16.1) and Reese (14.1).
4. Kamilla Cardoso, Chicago Sky
Stats through 14 games: 8.2 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 1.1 bpg, 44.3% FG
Breakdown: Kamilla Cardoso may have missed the first six games of the season with a shoulder injury, but the two-time NCAA champion is returning to form. She only scored six points in the Sky’s 84-71 loss against the Seattle Storm on Sunday, but she was a force on the defensive side of the ball, recording a career-high four blocks, eight rebounds (all in the first quarter) and one steal. Cardoso is second in rookie blocks per game (1.1), trailing Cameron Brink (2.3), and second among rookies in rebounds per game (7.8).
5. Aaliyah Edwards, Washington Mystics
Stats through 19 games: 8.6 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 1.1 apg, 48.4% FG
Breakdown: Aaliyah Edwards had 10 points in the Mystics’ 74-67 loss to the Minnesota Lynx on Saturday and she’s the fourth leading rookie scorer per game (8.6), behind Clark, Reese and Jackson. Edwards is third in the league among rookies in total rebounds per game (6.0) and blocks per game (0.9). Edwards was also named to Canada’s women’s basketball team for the 2024 Paris Olympics, marking her second Olympic appearance. Despite Edwards’ steady improvement, she was ranked No. 5 due to the fact that the Mystics are tied with the Dallas Wings for the worst record in the league at 5-17.
Not ranked: Los Angeles Sparks’ Cameron Brink is out of contention for Rookie of the Year after she suffered a torn ACL in the Sparks’ 79-70 loss to the Connecticut Sun on June 18, effectively ending her season.
