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ESPN's Caitlin Clark WNBA Rookie Rankings Have Fans in Disbelief

Caitlin Clark's fanbase is not happy with ESPN's latest WNBA rookie rankings.

Grant Young

Jul 17, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) stretches before the game against the Dallas Wings at College Park Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 17, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) stretches before the game against the Dallas Wings at College Park Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports / Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

ESPN released its updated WNBA 2024 rookie rankings on Thursday.

They had Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese ranked at No. 1 on the list while Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark assumed the No. 2 spot.

Their reasoning for ranking Reese over Clark boiled down to advanced metrics.

"Reese's narrow edge in PER comes from her stat totals like her numerous double-doubles; she has 22 (including a streak of 15 straight at one point), which is tied for the third most in a WNBA season, just six off of the Connecticut Sun's Alyssa Thomas' record from last season," ESPN's Neil Paine wrote.

"And finally, Reese leads sizably over Clark in WS (win shares) because of individual efficiency ratings," the article continued.

"On just the possessions she is responsible for, Reese is up 4 net points per 100 (104 offensive rating versus 100 defensive rating), while Clark is down 7 net points (101 offense, 108 defense). There are clear limitations to that approach, since it doesn't take into account usage rate -- Clark leads Reese, 26.5% to 22.0% -- but that is a major component of the WS formula, and thus a driving force behind the biggest aspect of our consensus average favoring Reese over Clark."

ESPN deciding to Reese over Clark — despite what the eye test conveys when watching these two rookies throughout August — has Clark's devoted fanbase upset on social media.

"ESPN is a very sad excuse for a sports network," X user @CClarkReport wrote.

"Caitlin Clark is the ONLY correct answer here," another X user commented on ESPN's post.

A third fan noted, "Do your experts even watch these games? My god!"

Iowa Hawkeyes' CBS Sports insider David Eickholt wrote, "Angel Reese ranked No. 1 is so laughable insulting to the game of basketball."

Despite what ESPN or their statistics may show, sportsbooks have made it very clear that Clark is a massive favorite when it comes to the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year voting.

Not to mention that Clark's Fever team is 4-1 in August while the Chicago Sky are spiraling down the WNBA standings.

ESPN will be hearing about this ranking from Clark fans for a while.

Published
Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.

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