Blog: Caitlin Clark, fresh off the WNBA's first rookie triple-double, should be the Rookie of the Year

I mean...isn't it obvious?

All credit to the Chicago Sky’s Angel Reese. What was supposed to be a runaway campaign in the Rookie of the Year balloting looks like it’s going to be closer than anybody could have expected.

That said, Caitlin Clark of the Fever is your Rookie of the Year, and all arguments to the contrary are accepted. Summarily dismissed but accepted. Go ahead, make your case.

One day after Clark became the first WNBA rookie to put up a triple double (19 points, 13 assists, 12 rebounds), doing it Saturday in a signature 83-78 victory over the top-seeded New York Liberty, it’s brazenly apparent that no rookie impacts winning in more ways than Clark. That wasn’t apparent early as the Fever were getting off to a 1-8 start during an inhumane stretch of the schedule, but as the Fever have found their footing, Clark’s contributions have been essential to winning.

One side note: Exactly 996 rookies have come through the WNBA, not counting the league’s first year in 1997. Clark is the first among those rookies to produce a triple-double. The first. And it won’t be her last. Not even close.

For the season, Clark’s numbers look like this: 16 ppg, 5.7 rebounds, 7.1 assists, 1.3 steals, .8 in blocks in a team-high 34 minutes per game.

The only areas where Reese stands above Clark is in rebounds and blocked shots, as you would imagine.