Rickea Jackson is emerging as a Rookie of the Year candidate

The 2024 WNBA Draft class will likely go down as one of the greatest in league history. That is no disrespect to classes of the past but two months into these young player's careers, they’ve shown the potential to become faces of the league for the next era. While the spotlight has been on No. 1 Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, another rookie who is creeping into the Rookie of the Year conversation is Rickea Jackson of the Los Angeles Sparks. 

Rickea Jackson was the fourth overall pick in the WNBA Draft for a reason. She’s a box office talent who had high expectations to excel at the next level, and she might be the best all-around scorer in this draft.

Jackson has been an elite scorer throughout her basketball journey. When she transferred to Tennessee as a junior, she quickly emerged as one of the top scorers in the SEC. Her ability to score at all three levels was exceptional and allowed the Volunteers to remain in contention. Despite carrying a ton of responsibility and drawing primary defensive attention, she was extremely efficient — averaging 19.6 points per game during her two years at Tennessee, with a 30.3 usage rate and a 57.8 true shooting percentage.

Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark have been the top rookies this season. Reese currently holds the record for most consecutive double-doubles in league history while Clark became the fastest player to record a triple-double and is regularly recording historic statlines. With their numbers and the attention they're drawing, they'll almost certainly finish No. 1 and No. 2 in the Rookie of the Year race. But Jackson deserves some recognition as well.

It took time for Rickea Jackson’s name to enter the Rookie of the Year race. The reason is lack of opportunity. Jackson didn’t start in the first five games of her WNBA career. Despite a lack of playing time, she did a terrific job being active on both ends to prove herself. Slowly but surely, Jackson continued to impress Sparks head coach Curt Miller and the rest of his staff. She made her first start on May 28 against the Indiana Fever. 

Scoring is something that comes naturally to Jackson. She’s effortless when it comes to getting to her spots and she has great elevation when rising for shots. Jackson is also not afraid of contact as she absorbs it well when attacking the rim. As the season has progressed, Jackson has continued to gain the trust of her teammates by continuing to score at an efficient level. 

Not only has Jackson had great performances but she’s played well against some of the WNBA’s top contenders. For instance, the Sparks took down the Las Vegas Aces twice on their home floor. In the matchup on June 9, Jackson recorded 16 points and shot 63 percent from the floor. Yes, they played against an Aces team that was without their point guard, Chelsea Gray. However, it was still a great test for Jackson as she went against the two-time defending champs. 

Weeks later, the two teams met again and Jackson scored 14 points in the win. Nearly 48 hours later, Jackson delivered a career performance against the Phoenix Mercury with 22 points and six rebounds. The performance exemplified Jackson’s growth. Not only did she put the ball in the basket but did a great job setting up her teammates. Despite the loss, the Sparks were impressed with what they saw from their rookie. 

Overall, Jackson is averaging 11 points per game along with 3.8 rebounds on 45 percent shooting. Sure, the numbers don’t scream Rookie of the Year. However, Jackson has been the third-best rookie behind Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese.