WNBA Rookie of the Year ladder: Way too early challengers to Caitlin Clark

This WNBA rookie class entered the league with as much fanfare as any in recent memory. You can chalk a lot of that up to Caitlin Clark but players like Cameron Brink, Rickea Jackson, Kamilla Cardoso and more had plenty of star potential. We're only two weeks into the season but it's been a mixed bag.

Clark has impressed but also struggled in some noticeable ways. Cardoso has yet to play because of a shoulder injury. Jacy Sheldon, the No. 5 pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, has played just 63 minutes across five games and the last five picks in the first round — Alissa Pili, Carla Leite, Leila Lacan, Marquesha Davis and Nyadiew Puoch — have been on the court for just 35 minutes combined.

Despite all that, there is plenty of reason to think that Clark is on a historic trajectory and numerous other stars in the class are waiting to break out. Here are the five most impressive WNBA rookies so far.

5. Aaliyah Edwards, Washington Mystics

Edwards has shown some flashes, like a 9-point, 11-rebound effort against the Seattle Storm. But she's also struggled as much as any of the top picks in the 2024 WNBA Draft — she's shooting just 41.0 percent from the field, 7-of-15 from the free-throw line, has more turnovers than assists and hasn't made as much of an impact as hoped on the glass.

Of course, all of that should come with the caveat that the Mystics are really struggling as a team. They don't have a dynamic individual creator who can create easy buckets for Edwards and she's having to work incredibly hard for everything she gets. The good news is that she's making impact plays at the defensive end — 11 steals plus blocks in six games — and she's been much more efficient around the basket, shooting 57.1 percent within three feet of the basket. It will get better but this won't be an easy season for Edwards.

4. Rickea Jackson, Los Angeles Sparks

Jackson has the benefit of playing in a system where she is mostly asked to finish plays or score against a defense that's already been bent out of shape. And so far, she's excelled — averaging 15.2 points per 36 minutes, shooting 54.5 percent from the field and having hit 5-of-10 from beyond the arc.

However, she's still scoring very opportunistically — her usage rate is just 19.1 percent — and she has struggled in some situations when asked to initiate against a set defense, hence her 13 turnovers to one assist and turnover rate of 26.1 percent. All the tools are there and she'll continue to get better as she gets more reps against professional defenders and improves at reading the defense, knowing when to force the issue and her own scoring opportunity and when to swing the ball to an open teammate.

3. Angel Reese, Chicago Sky

With Kamilla Cardoso out with a shoulder injury, Reese has started all four games for the Sky averaging nearly 30 minutes. She's averaging 12.3 points and 7.8 rebounds and has made an enormous impact with her aggressiveness, strength and physicality. Those traits were expected to translate fairly well to the next level and while it may be surprising how much she's done with the some early, the expected lack of versatility has been an issue.

Reese is shooting just 35.7 percent from the floor and 63.3 percent from the free throw line. She's just 2-of-18 on shots outside the restricted area, has more turnovers than assists and has been blocked on a third of her shot attempts. The fact that she's been this productive is a testament to her will and tenacity but if she doesn't expand her game soon and figure out other ways to contribute her ceiling is going to be limited — especially when Cardoso returns to the lineup since playing them together is going to be a tough look for the Sky.

2. Cameron Brink, Los Angeles Sparks

Brink may not be a match for Clark in terms of sheer volume of her production but she's made a huge impact for the Sparks so far this season. She's averaging 10.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.2 steals and 3.2 blocks per game, shooting 52.8 percent from the floor, 42.9 percent from beyond the arc and 90.9 percent from the line — and she's just scratching the surface.

Brink is already a fantastic defender and has legitimate Defensive Player of the Year potential, maybe not this season but certainly in the future. She's already a very efficient complementary scorer but as she gets more comfortable with her spot-up shooting and face-up game she could easily become a primary offensive weapon. And, perhaps most importantly, she's looked as comfortable and poised as any of the other rookies so far. She still has things to work on, particularly cutting down on her fouls, but Brink is looking like a surefire star.

1. Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever

Yes, Clark has turned the ball over a lot (5.3 times per game). Yes, her shooting efficiency (37.1 percent from the field, 31.6 percent from beyond the arc) and shot selection have been shaky. Yes, the Fever are 1-6 with the worst point differential in the league by a significant margin.

But she's also been uniquely productive with a uniquely large offensive load. She's averaging 15.4 points, 6.3 assists and 5.4 rebounds per game — if those numbers hold up she'd be just the sixth player in WNBA history to average at least 15/6/5 and, obviously, the first rookie to ever do it. She's also on track to become just the fourth player in WNBA history to post a usage rate of at least 27 percent and an assist percentage over 30 percent, along with Diana Taurasi, Cynthia Cooper and Becky Hammon. Again, as a rookie.

There's a strong argument to be made that both Clark and the Fever would be better off if she reigned it in a bit, gave up some of the contested 28-footers in favor of pick-and-rolls with Aliyah Boston. (She's 7-of-23 from beyond 28 feet in 7 games). But, again, she is historically productive with an historically large share of offensive responsibility. She will get more efficient. She will make better decisions. The Fever will be in closer games. But right now, there's simply no other rookie who can do what she does.