The WNBA’s nearly completed one month of action and one of the most-anticipated rookie classes in years has delivered already. Caitlin Clark – the top pick in the draft by the Indiana Fever – remains in the spotlight especially in the wake of a flagrant foul on her by Chennedy Carter during a Fever-Chicago Sky game.
She remains the favorite for the WNBA’s Rookie of the Year award as the league schedule enters the annual Commissioner’s Cup tournament. There’s still plenty of time for others to catch up, including Chicago’s Angel Reese. Here’s how the top five currently stand with odds from FanDuel:
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WNBA Rookie of the Year odds
1. Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever (-650)
Indiana’s franchise cornerstone has been a topic off-court for much of this week due to that flagrant foul and the media reaction to it. On the court, she’s producing despite the Fever playing more games as of June 3 (11) than any other team in the league. Five of those 11 games have come against the top two teams in the WNBA – the Connecticut Sun and New York Liberty – as well as one matchup against the defending WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces.
Clark leads the Fever and all WNBA rookies with 15.6 points per game. She leads Indiana with 6.4 assists per game and is second on the team in free throw shooting (89.6%). The Fever have no more back-to-back games this season after two back-to-backs in the first 11 matchups. This will give the team more rest and Clark could improve with the rest and more time to acclimate.
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2. Cameron Brink, Los Angeles Sparks (+700)
The second overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft is establishing herself on the defensive end for Los Angeles. Brink was a standout shot blocker at Stanford and that’s translating early; her 2.6 blocks per game is third in the WNBA and most among rookies.
She’s averaging 8.8 points and 5.4 rebounds for the Sparks. Brink was touted for her defense in college and it’s showing up early, despite foul troubles. But to catch Clark, she needs to produce more on the offensive end as well.
3. Angel Reese, Chicago Sky (+1200)
Reese was a force in the paint in college with LSU and that’s continued with Chicago early on. At time of publishing, she leads the WNBA in offensive rebounds per game (5.0) and sits eighth at 8.9 total rebounds per game. She’s shooting just 35.3% from the field but is making it count at the foul line with a team-high 5.6 free throw attempts per game.
Unlike Clark, the Sky aren’t counting on Reese to shoulder a heavy scoring load. Five players are averaging 10+ points per game so far (six if you include Kamilla Cardoso’s 11-point debut). If she can average a near double-double per game for the rest of the season, she could close the gap.
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4. Rickea Jackson, Los Angeles Sparks (+4000)
Jackson’s offensive skillset looked like a good compliment to Brink for Los Angeles on draft night. That’s paying off early on as Jackson’s averaging 10 points per game on 49.1% shooting from the field. She’s also second on the team in free throw shooting (82.6%).
Los Angeles already has a 20-point scorer this season in Dearica Hamby. To bridge the gap in odds, Jackson needs to produce in other categories. She’s already on track to do that; she’s racked up 12 rebounds in her last two games combined compared to 13 in the previous six.
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5. Kamilla Cardoso, Chicago Sky (+4200)
Cardoso’s fifth in these odds despite playing just one game at time of publishing. The No. 3 overall pick went 5-for-7 for 11 points and six rebounds in 18 minutes in her debut against the Fever. The Sky’s top three scorers are all guards. If she can log minutes as an effective post player alongside Reese quickly, she’ll improve her odds and Chicago’s outlook this season in a hurry.
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