Angel Reese has a “real chance” to be crowned WNBA Rookie of the Year, ahead of Caitlin Clark, according to Jason Whitlock.
Whitlock has been on a number of tirades about Reese lately, most recently claiming that the Chicago Sky forward’s record for most double-doubles in the WNBA is “made up.”
The conservative sports commentator has also called her “overrated” in the past, but walked back that criticism after she was the driving force behind Chicago’s win over Clark and the Indiana Fever last month.
Clark, who left college basketball as the all-time leading scorer in NCAA history, immediately became the favorite to win this year’s Rookie of the Year award after moving up to the WNBA and joining Indiana.
Angel Reese has a ‘real case’ to be crowned WNBA Rookie of the Year, says Jason Whitlock
Although the Fever sensation averages more points per game (16 compared to 13.2), Reese has produced an equally impressive performance in her debut campaign for the Sky and currently leads the league in rebounds with 11.8 per game.
Whitlock admits the battle for Rookie of the Year is now “a lot more exciting than people think.”
“There is a legitimate reason why Angel Reese should get the Rookie of the Year award, and I say that for a couple of different reasons,” the controversial podcast host said this week.
“Caitlin Clark’s plus/minus is one of the worst in the league. I think out of 145 or 146 players, she’s about 140th in plus/minus. A couple of her teammates are below that.
“Caitlin Clark leads the league in turnovers and Caitlin Clark shoots 33 percent from three-point range, and she has these scoring droughts throughout the game that are holding her team back. This is a woman who led the NCAA in scoring two years in a row, is the all-time leading scorer… she is not an effective scorer in the WNBA.
“I know she averages 16 points a game, but I’ve watched every game. She’s a very inefficient shooter, she’s got the long 27-foot three-pointer, that’s in her bag. Sometimes she’ll get to the rim and make a layup.
Whitlock has made a huge U-turn after previously criticising the Chicago Sky rookie
Conservative sports commentator believes Caitlin Clark is not an ‘effective’ shooter
Reese set a WNBA record for double-doubles in her most recent outing for Chicago
“But between the turnovers, the plus-minus, missing 70 percent of the three-pointers she shoots… Caitlin Clark has been great at the box office, she’s a great player. But on the other hand, Angel Reese… I don’t believe in the double-double thing at all. It’s kind of a gimmick and just a statistic that they pulled out of thin air.
“But she leads the league in rebounds. That’s a real stat, that’s a real contribution. She’s doing it as a rookie. This Rookie of the Year race is more exciting than a lot of people think.”
On Tuesday night, Reese became the first player in WNBA history to record 10 consecutive double-doubles in a single season, surpassing the record of nine double-doubles set in 2015 by future Hall of Famer Candace Parker.
But Whitlock wasn’t convinced this statistic carried much weight.
“Angel Reese’s most consecutive double-double WNBA record was made up,” he said.
“Nobody knows who had the previous record. This has never been a standard in the NBA. Guys average a double-double.”