ESPN Analyst's Reason for Picking Angel Reese Over Caitlin Clark Goes Viral
The WNBA Rookie of the Year debate is not going anywhere. So expect to hear takes from every direction when it comes to who will take home the award between Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever and Angel Reese of the Chicago Sky. But one take in particular set the internet ablaze, as ESPN's Monica McNutt's reason for picking Angel went viral.
"My rookie of the year is going to go based on the standings. ... And the Sky right now are in the playoffs. So, you'd have to give the nod in my mind to Angel Reese."
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) July 5, 2024
—@McNuttMonica on the WNBA ROTY race between Reese and Caitlin Clark 👀 pic.twitter.com/65CnhbObrL
McNutt went with Reese based on the team's relative records stating, "My rookie of the year is going to go based on the standings. Because that is how I think you have the opportunity to measure impact...And the Sky right now are in the playoffs. So, you'd have to give the nod in my mind to Angel Reese."
McNutt's reasoning was criticized by many online given the two teams have extremely similar records and since the Fever have improved relative to last season, while the Sky have started off worse. Indiana did have the number one pick in the draft for a reason of course.
I can't think of an award where standings is less relevant than rookie of the year. If you are going to reach for excuses to account for your biases, try harder.
— Haralabos Voulgaris (@haralabob) July 5, 2024
Clark is more impactful to winning in every metric, leads in every statistical category aside from rebounds (would… https://t.co/OLv47VQ6hl
Reese has a strong case on her own merits based off her historic double-double streak, which saw Angel win Rookie of the Month for June. While Clark is right near the top of the league in assists and three-pointers made and ranks favorably in nearly every statistical category. That while receiving the lion's share of the attention from opposing defenses, with Caitlin still being able to contribute to a huge portion of the Fever's total points either through her own scoring or passing.
Even if we ignore the fact that Caitlin Clark is beating Angel Reese in nearly every statistical category outside of rebounds, the Sky are on pace to lose more games this year than they did last year, while the Fever are on pace to win four more games than they did in 2023. https://t.co/aW4vFCnmeu
— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) July 5, 2024
All the discourse is made even more sweet given the next time we see Clark and Reese on the floor together will be as teammates in the All-Star Game.
Robin Lundberg is a media veteran and hoops head who has spent the bulk of his career with iconic brands like Sports Illustrated and ESPN. His insights have also been featured on platforms such as Fox and CNN and he can currently be heard hosting shows for Sirius XM and on his burgeoning YouTube show. And now he brings his basketball expertise to Women's Fastbreak on SI!