Rebecca Lobo’s Caitlin Clark ROY take ‘doesn’t diminish’ Angel Reese
The WNBA Rookie of the Year race has been a hot topic, with Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese both delivering historic performances in their first professional seasons. Despite Reese’s impressive rookie records, ESPN analyst Rebecca Lobo believes that Clark has distinguished herself as the frontrunner for the award. Lobo, a former standout player herself, emphasized that the choice of Clark over Reese should not be seen as diminishing Reese’s impact.
“They are two separate players having two great years,” Lobo said, as reported by Doug Feinberg of the Associated Press “Not voting for Angel doesn’t diminish the historic season she’s having on the glass. No one has ever done it before. We can appreciate that while also understanding Caitlin Clark has separated herself as Rookie of the Year.”
Clark, who plays for the Indiana Fever, has been a dominant force on the court, setting the rookie records for both assists and three-pointers. She is averaging 18 points, a league-leading 8.1 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game. Her contributions have been instrumental in leading the Fever to their best season since 2016, with the team on the brink of making the playoffs for the first time since that year. Clark’s performance has drawn praise from WNBA legend Sue Bird, who highlighted Clark’s special skills and the pressure she puts on defenses. Bird holds the all-time assist record.
“She’s got special, special skills and those open things up for her,” Bird said. “Her range unlocks so much for her. Her pace of play, she’s either walking or sprinting, she even made a joke about it. That puts a lot of pressure on defense.”
Both Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese have areas to improve
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
However, Clark’s aggressive style has also led to a high number of turnovers. Despite this, her ability to create opportunities for her teammates has made her a constant threat on the court.
“Her ability to find her teammates and create opportunities for her teammates,” Bird said, “it’s the combination of those three things that makes her a threat all the time. So you can never really exhale” when defending Clark.
On the other hand, Reese, a 6-foot-3 forward, has been dominant in the paint, leading the league in rebounds with an average of 12.9 per game, the highest in WNBA history. Reese’s streak of three consecutive games with 20 or more rebounds was unprecedented, and she has tied the rookie record with 22 double-doubles this season. She set the overall WNBA record for most consecutive double-doubles – 15 – earlier in the season. That said, Reese’s efficiency around the basket can use improvement.
Despite Reese’s accomplishments, Lobo stressed that recognizing Clark’s achievements does not take away Reese’s historic season.
“If you didn’t have these happening at the same time people wouldn’t be pointing at the negatives for each player,” Lobo said, adding that with all the attention on the rookie of the year race, people are paying more attention to their faults as opposed to their positives.
The post Rebecca Lobo’s Caitlin Clark ROY take ‘doesn’t diminish’ Angel Reese appeared first on ClutchPoints.
Welcome to Billionaire Club Co LLC, your gateway to a brand-new social media experience! Sign up today and dive into over 10,000 fresh daily articles and videos curated just for your enjoyment. Enjoy the ad free experience, unlimited content interactions, and get that coveted blue check verification—all for just $1 a month!
Account Frozen
Your account is frozen. You can still view content but cannot interact with it.
Please go to your settings to update your account status.
Open Profile Settings