It’s been quite a week for WNBA rookies. Two earned All-Star bids and one was named to her country’s Olympic roster. Meanwhile, the league announced a new docuseries that will follow members of this rookie class as they navigate their first year as pros.
Here’s what it looks like for the league’s youngest stars:
The No. 1 draft pick capped her first two months of WNBA play with an All-Star bid. The Indiana guard earned the most votes of any player with 700,735.
Clark and the Fever are also on a roll after a rough start to the season. The Fever played a brutal schedule that included 11 games in a 20-day span. They opened their slate with five straight losses, but are now 8-13. Clark leads her team in both assists (7.1) and steals (1.3), while also averaging 16 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. She also ranks third in assists per game behind leaders Alyssa Thomas (7.5) and Natasha Cloud (7.4). The rookie enjoyed one of her best games of the season in an 88-82 win over Phoenix on Sunday, when Clark nearly recorded a triple-double despite shooting just 28.6 percent from the field. She finished with 15 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds.
Clark’s biggest problem so far has been turnovers, as the rookie also leads the league in that category with 5.6 per game. Thomas is next on the list with 3.9 per game.
Chicago’s Reese was the only other rookie to earn All-Star honors, with 381,518 votes. Her berth in the All-Star Game comes amid an 11-game double-double streak, which is a WNBA single-season record. The previous record was nine, set by Candace Parker in 2015. And Parker isn’t the only WNBA star Reese’s name has been bandied about of late. In an 88-87 win over Indiana on June 23, the Rookie of the Month for June finished with a career-high 25 points and 16 rebounds. She’s just the second rookie since A’ja Wilson to record at least 25 points and 15 rebounds in a game.
Thanks to her double-double streak, Reese also leads the league in rebounds per game (11.8) and offensive rebounds per game (4.8).
Reese’s weakness continues to be her efficiency around the rim, as the LSU graduate is making just 39.7 percent of her shots. That number has increased over the past month, however. In early June, Reese was shooting 35.4 percent from the field.
It’s been a tough season for the Mystics, who started 0-12 and then won five of their last eight, but Edwards has been a bright spot. She’s playing more like a veteran than a rookie, thanks in part to her experience in international play. The Canadian played in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and is preparing for her second Olympic appearance as Canada competes in the Paris Games. Edwards is the only traditional rookie named to a national team.
Edwards is averaging 8.2 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1 block per game while shooting 48.3% from the field. In a June 14 win against Chicago, Edwards showed her maturity with an efficient effort, shooting 85.7% for 16 points on a 9-rebound, 3-block, 2-assist, 1-steal performance.
At 4-15, the Sparks are the second-worst team in the league, behind the 4-16 Dallas Wings. LA has dealt with injuries to players like rookie Cameron Brink, who tore her ACL, and Lexie Brown, who is out indefinitely due to her ongoing battle with Crohn’s disease. But despite the challenges, Jackson continues to improve. She’s used to uncertainty after a college career with four different coaches and two different teams, and that adaptability has served Jackson well. The forward is averaging 10.2 points and 3.5 rebounds per game while shooting 46.8 percent from the field and 34.2 percent from beyond the arc.
LA is on an eight-game losing streak, but Jackson has played well in the losses. She has scored in double figures five times, finishing with a double-double in an 81-76 loss to Minnesota on June 14. In her last outing, an 82-80 loss to Washington, Jackson had 12 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists.
Things have also improved for Jackson off the court. The Tennessee graduate is one of four players who will be featured in a docuseries titled “Year 1,” which follows her, Reese, Nika Muhl and Kamilla Cardoso during their rookie campaigns. Cardoso is also having a successful rookie season, averaging 8.3 points and 7.8 rebounds for the 7-11 Sky, while Muhl has played limited minutes with the Storm.
