The WNBA saw a surreal spike in viewership and ratings once the league got two collegiate stars in the draft, Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark. The two players have been on top of their games right from their rookie year. And while fans and the media may love putting them up against one another, Gilbert Arenas, on the other hand, may not feel the same way.
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In an episode of Gil’s Arena, the Washington Wizards legend recently broke down the discourse between the Chicago Sky forward and the Indiana Fever guard. And while he gave both athletes their flowers, Agent Zero wasn’t on board with fans making a narrative of Reese vs. Clark.
“I guess it’s the media and the fanbase trying to put them to against each other like this is still college. What they’re both doing is making history. Right? It’s not whose history is better, it’s that they’re both making history. They’re both doing something different. One’s a guard, one’s a big…If you separate them and watch them individually…They’re both doing great.”
The 42-year-old broke down what the two players have been doing. He emphasized the fact that they are two completely different players, hence, they will excel in different parts of the game.
Arenas credited Reese’s rebounding ability and how that’ll help her break all WNBA records someday. Whereas, Caitlin Clark was compared to Dallas Mavericks star, Luka Doncic, when Gilbert pointed out that Reese was on that trajectory.
While both players have been doing exceptionally well, he simply wanted fans and even the media to appreciate them for who they are as players and what they bring to the floor.
As for the Rookie of the Year award, the two-time All-Star strongly felt that one player would feel cheated because both of them are making history as we speak.
Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese battle for the ROTY award
The race for this year’s WNBA Rookie of the Year only has two names that fans really care about. Chicago Sky’s Reese and Indiana Fever’s Clark have been at the top of their games in their rookie seasons.
The League Barbie has already been dubbed as the double-double queen whereas Clark just became the first rookie in WNBA history to record a triple-double in a game. Now, multiple sources have different takes on who leads the race for the Rookie of the Year honors and it seems as if Clark currently has the lead so far.
The Chicago Sky (9-12) are currently two games ahead of the Indiana Fever (9-14) and have a better record out of the two. But when looking at individual numbers, the story is the complete opposite.
As per the official website of the WNBA, Angel Reese has been averaging 14.0 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game. The Indiana Fever guard, on the other hand, has been averaging 16.7 points, 7.6 assists, and 5.9 rebounds per game. Both players are leading in different stats.
Clark is in the top three for most three-pointers made and second in assists per game whereas Reese is the league’s leading rebounder as of now. Both the stars have their edge in different aspects of the game. Hence, the decision of who takes the ROTY award home is bound to leave fans disappointed as these two players have the fanbase divided into two separate fragments.
While Clark may have the upper hand right now, the season is not over just yet. So, there is a possibility that Angel Reese may take a surprising lead when it’s all said and done. But as of now, it is anybody’s guess.
