Stephen A. Smith found himself on the receiving end of heavy criticism after he claimed that the WNBA Rookie of the Year race between Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese and Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark isn’t over yet.
Clark appeared to have separated herself from Reese and the rest of the 2024 class, as she leads all rookies in points (18.0), assists (8.1) and steals (1.4). She’s also third in blocks (0.8) and in rebounds (5.5), the only area where Reese is ahead of her (12.9). While Clark’s turnover problem (5.5 per game) is a major flaw, her overall contribution and impact on the Fever outweigh that issue. With her leading the way, Indiana is contending for a playoff spot.
Despite that consistency and massive impact, Stephen A. doesn’t see Clark as a lock for the Rookie of the Year award. According to him, Reese still has a shot. “I’ve talked about Caitlin Clark,” Smith said on his show. “I love the sizzle, I love the ball handling, I love the passing ability, I love the shot-making ability. But let’s give credit where credit is due. Angel Reese is showing she’s no joke either. I think she could win Rookie of the Year.”
Angel Reese absolutely could win Rookie of the Year pic.twitter.com/YIEBICJUVq
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) August 30, 2024
Sure enough, the statement sparked plenty of negative reactions, with many questioning Smith’s basis for his opinion. After all, while Reese is a double-double machine, she hasn’t really helped Chicago win a lot. Entering Friday’s game against the Fever, the Sky were 11-19 on the season.
“Do you actually watch the games man? You understand Clark is making the All WNBA team? Why keep talking about ROTY? Come on,” a commenter said. “Embarrassing. I love Reese but this needs to stop…CC is a better player,” a critic added.
A social media user dropped an interesting comparison, saying, “This would be like Andre Drummond winning MVP over someone like Luka just becuz he’s a great rebounder…y’all gotta stop this.” Another one agreed, noting, “SAS doesn’t know ball lol You mean Rudy Gobert better than Curry?”
“I love Angel Reese & this really ain’t on her that they’re lying. Yes Angel is a phenomenal rebounder & helps her team but she’s also the worst finisher in the WNBA history Ball is played on many levels & if you’re watching games you know Caitlin is ROY,” a commenter added. A sixth poster said, “Stop it your embarrassing yourself.”
For what it’s worth, Caitlin Clark is the heavy favorite to win Rookie of the Year, with the latest odds at DraftKings putting her at -3000 while Reese is at +1500. Clearly, despite Smith’s endorsement of Reese, the odds suggest that the race is virtually over.
