Breaking landmark WNBA records in each of her last four games and leading the Indiana Fever to its first playoff berth in eight years hasn’t closed the WNBA Rookie of the Year debate for everyone.
Former NBA All-Star Joakim Noah told Fox News Digital he would vote for Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese over Clark for Rookie of the Year if he had a say, during an interview at NBA Night at the Emirates Suite at the U.S. Open on Wednesday.
“I would say Angel Reese,” Noah said.
Noah’s reasoning for Reese is not rooted in any statistical argument, however. The 6-foot-11 Noah likes the fact that the 6-foot-3 Reese plays more similarly to him than the 6-foot-0 Clark plays.
“When I look at her play, she reminds me a lot of myself,” Noah said.
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Reese’s three-inch size advantage hasn’t put her in a better tier than Clark in almost all statistical output this year. Clark has the better averages in terms of points, assists, steals, blocks and every shooting percentage.
But Reese does have a drastic advantage in terms of rebounds. With 13.2 rebounds per game, Reese is more than doubling Clark’s current 5.8 per game.
In head-to-head matchups this year, the Fever have beaten the Sky three out of four times. In two of those matchups, Reese put up more points than Clark while putting up more rebounds than Clark in all four meetings. Clark put up more assists in all four meetings.
Reese’s height advantage over Clark has resulted in the Sky rookie having stronger finishes in the paint, and a few very physical blocks and block attempts. Some instances have also resulted in some hard fouls being called against Reese for her defense on Clark. In a game on June 16, Clark was going in for a layup, Reese didn’t quite have the wingspan to block the shot, but got a flagrant 1 when she hit Clark in the head from above instead.
In the most famous meeting between the two players – the 2023 NCAA women’s title game – Reese used her superior size to out-duel Clark putting up 15 points with 10 rebounds, while Clark shot 30 points. Reese led LSU to a convincing 102-85 victory of Clark and Iowa.
Now, as pros engaged in a Rookie of the Year race, Clark’s superior offensive numbers and team success has put her in pole position to win the award with just six games left in the season.
Still, Reese has her supporters and could still receive votes for the award by some.
Noah is one of those, having boasted a closer stat line to Reese’s than Clark’s during his career as a defensive presence at center. Having starred for the Chicago Bulls from 2007-16, Noah is also open about his bias affecting his choice for the award.
“She’s Chicago Sky, I’m Chicago,” Noah said.
Noah has seen what a transcendent young player who is above their peers, at least at the time, looks like up close. In 2009, when Derrick Rose came to the Bulls as the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, Noah watched his young teammate put together a dominant Rookie of the Year campaign, then become the youngest league MVP in 2011 at the age of 22.
Still, even Noah might have to admit that Rose, at 6-foot-3 and known for his scoring, had way more in common with Clark than Reese in those days.
On Wednesday night, Clark became the fastest player in WNBA history to reach 100 3-pointers in a season in the second triple-double of her career against the LA Sparks.
On Sunday against the Dallas Wings, Clark scored the 595th point of her career, surpassing WNBA legend Tamika Catchings for the most in a single season by a rookie in Fever history.
In Friday’s game against the Sky, Clark had the first 30-point, 12-assist game in WNBA history while becoming just the fifth player, and first rookie, to record at least 30 points and 10 assists in a game.
Just three days before that, Clark set the record for most made 3-pointers by a rookie, surpassing the mark initially set by the Atlanta Dream’s Rhyne Howard.
“That being said, Caitlin Clark is a beast,” Noah said after giving his argument for Reese as Rookie of the Year. “She’s making this a much bigger business.”
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