Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese. The two names currently personifying this year’s Rookie Of The Year debate. Many would believe so! But, for sportscaster Dan Patrick, the comparison doesn’t seem to hold any valid grounds.
This is despite the fact that the ferocious Chicago No.5 has been included in the same discussion with Candace Parker and Tina Charles. And, the narrative doesn’t change even though the 67-year-old himself believes that her game resonates with that of a certain NBA legend.
The Rookie Of The Year is slowly becoming a single-athlete affair. As it turns out, after Sue Bird’s “eye test,” Premiere Radio Network’s popular face Dan Patrick also believes that the NCAA Division I all-time leading scorer is head and shoulders above any of her competition.
“Caitlin Clark is a phenomenon,” Patrick said on his radio broadcast ‘ The Dan Patrick Show.’ “Angel Reese is a wonderful player. But she does not compare to what and who Caitlin Clark is when she is on the basketball court. Plain and Simple.”
However, he did put forth some interesting insights regarding Reese’s game. He further adds, “Did you see her? Other than that she plays really really hard, I likened her game to Moses Malone. Moses Malone was relentless. So, it’s not that I don’t appreciate who she is, or how she plays. There is no one like Caitlin Clark.”
Dan Patrick weighs in on the Rookie Of The Year Debate between #Angelreese and
#Caitlinclark pic.twitter.com/LWYUAruSMb— Ken Swift (@kenswift) August 19, 2024
Terming Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark the frontrunners for this honor is based on a number of factors. The primary ones are the multiple records both of them broke this year.
Reese who is currently the leading rebounder (12.3 per game), recently became the fastest WNBA player to register 20 double-doubles. In addition to this, just 2 more double-doubles separate her from Tina Charles’ 2010 record of most double-doubles in a rookie season.
On the other hand, Caitlin Clark has a string of records attached to her name as well. Apart from being the first rookie in league history to record a triple-double, the Fever No.22 also dished out 19 assists which is the most in a single game. On top of that, her average of 8.3 assists per game makes her the best distributor in the WNBA at the moment.
Following the same lines, the 2× USBWA National Player of the Year reaches another milestone as a debutant.
Caitlin Clark is in a league of her own
Sunday’s encounter against the Seattle Storm resulted in Caitlin Clark producing 23 points. Anyhow, the stat that held precedence over this was her 9 assists. Seemingly, Caitlin Clark has surpassed Ticha Penicheiro’s tally of 224 set in the year 1998. By all accounts, Caitlin Clark now has the most assists by a rookie in the league’s history.
Soon after, the 6-foot-guard reflected on her latest achievement. She went on and said, “To pass somebody like her, I’m just forever thankful. She’s been such a legend in our game. It’s super cool, but hopefully there are a lot more of those.”
Indeed, the rookie year for Caitlin Clark is turning out to be a blockbuster. This array of accomplishments as a pro truly justifies all her college basketball hype. But would it be enough to get her the Rookie of The Year honor?
Stay tuned for more such updates. And join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show”. Our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger.