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While Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese have battled for Rookie of the Year, the rest of the rookie class — headlined by Rickea Jackson, Aaliyah Edwards, and Kamilla Cardoso, among others — has also thrives. SB Nation’s August rookie rankings named the top 9 contributors in the 2024 class.
We’re more than halfway into the WNBA season, and with game play set to resume next week, it’s time for the August edition of SB Nation’s official WNBA Rookie Rankings. Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese have battled for the top spot all season, while Rickea Jackson, Aaliyah Edwards, and Kamilla Cardoso and several others have hovered near the top of the rookie ladder thanks to impactful debut seasons as professionals.
So, with less than two months left to play — where does everyone stack up?
9. Kate Martin, Las Vegas Aces
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Stats: 3.4 points (35.1% FG), 2 rebounds, 1.1 assists
Minutes per game: 13.8
Previous ranking: #8
Team Record: 15-8
Kate Martin is a fan favorite in Las Vegas, and she’s shown this year she’s far more than just Caitlin Clark’s second option at Iowa. Martin has played a limited but meaningful role for the two-time defending champion Aces, but has earned significant praise from her teammates for being a capable defender and someone who makes the right play at the right time.
Martin bruised her achilles in the last game before the break, but appears to have avoided major injury, so it’s likely she’ll be back in action after the break. “She’s a tough cookie,” head coach Becky Hammon said after the loss to the Sky, in which Martin was carried off the floor.
While her stats won’t jump out at you, the very fact that Martin has been able to crack the rotation of what’s likely the most star-studded roster in the WNBA speaks for itself. She falls one spot, however, because several other rookies have assumed larger roles as the year has gone on.
8. Sevgi Uzun, Dallas Wings
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Stats: 5.4 points (35.6% FG), 3.5 assists, 2 rebounds, 2.3 turnovers
Minutes per game: 24.3
Previous ranking: #7
Team Record: 6-19
Sevgi Uzun is one of several undrafted rookies— players who excelled for years overseas before opting to compete with a professional team in the WNBA. Uzun, a standout point guard from Turkey, has played substantial minutes for the Wings this season, and in those minutes, she’s showcased her playmaking and scoring abilities.
Uzun drops down a spot in the WNBA Rookie Rankings given that her role has diminished as the season has gone on. She played less than 10 minutes in each of the last five games of the WNBA season before the break, and was scoreless in three of her last five games.
7. Leonie Fiebich, New York Liberty
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Stats: 5.8 points (41.4 % FG), 2.8 rebounds, 1.7 assists
Minutes per game: 19.5
Previous ranking: N/A
Team Record: 21-4
Leonie Fiebich has been somewhat of a revelation for the Liberty this season, especially as the year’s progressed. The German forward was drafted in 2020, but only made the move to begin WNBA play this year.
While she played limited minutes early on, her role has expanded as of late — Fiebich logged at least 30 minutes in each of the Liberty’s final four games before the Olympic break. Her all-around play has impressed — she recorded consecutive 13 points in back-to-back wins over the Sky in July, a performance that drew praise from Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello.
“She’s great,” Brondello, per Myles Ehrlich. “She’s got good size, loves defense, knows how to execute well… her assists, her skip passes, I think she’s got good versatility.”
Fiebich was a crucial member of Germany’s Olympic team — she averaged 10.3 points per game on 46.7% shooting, helping her country advance to the quarterfinals. She’s a brand new addition to the Rookie Rankings given her increased role and two-way impact.
6. Julie Vanloo, Washington Mystics
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Stats: 8.5 points (35.2% FG), 5.1 assists, 1.8 rebounds, 0.5 steals, 3.2 turnovers
Minutes per game: 25.5
Previous ranking: #6
Team Record: 6-19
Julie Vanloo is having one of the more underrated rookie season in the W. With 15 games left to play, she’s already made more three-pointers than any rookie in Mystics franchise history.
She stacks up well against this particular class, too. Out of all WNBA rookies, she’s hit the second-most three-pointers (53) and dished out the second-most assists (122). Caitlin Clark leads both of those statistical categories, but saying that Vanloo has emerged as a capable playmaker is an understatement.
Vanloo isn’t your average rookie — she’s 31 years old, and has enjoyed an illustrious playing career in Europe. That experience has undoubtedly helped her adjust to the WNBA and serve as a bright spot on a Mystics team that’s struggled immensely this season.
Most recently, she’s excelled in international play. Though Belgium didn’t medal in the Olympics, Vanloo was a standout throughout the tournament, averaging 14 points per game on 42.3% shooting. Notably, she led the entire Olympic field in assists per game, averaging 6.8 a night.
5. Kamilla Cardoso, Chicago Sky
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Stats: 8.1 points (46.2% FG), 7.8 rebounds (3.3 offensive), 1.2 assists, 1.1 blocks
Minutes per game: 26.2
Previous ranking: #3
Team Record: 10-14
Kamilla Cardoso missed the beginning of the WNBA season with a shoulder injury, but she’s been a steady contributor ever since she returned to the lineup. She’s the second-leading rebounder among rookies, and the leading shot-blocker (outside of Cameron Brink, who is out for the season).
But, Cardoso has made clear she sees her first half of the season as a jumping off point for even stronger play in the future.
“Honestly, I think it was decent, but that’s in the past,” Cardoso said last week, per ClutchPoints. Now, we have to focus on the second half, and I’m very focused on finishing, being more strong, more aggressive, getting more rebounds. Just being out there with my teammates and doing whatever it takes to get wins.”
At 6’ 7, Cardoso has the physical tools needed to be a very good player in the WNBA for a very long time. She moves down two spots in the August edition of the Rookie Rankings because other rookies have found their footing a little bit faster than she has, but has nonetheless impressed during her time with the Sky.
“She’s just touching the surface,” sky coach Theresa Witherspoon said last month, per The Athletic. She hasn’t even scratched it yet. She’s gonna be one of the best players, one of the best bigs to ever play this game. She will be known as such. That’s just how she works, to want to be known as such.”
4. Aaliyah Edwards, Washington Mystics
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Stats: 8.7 points (49% FG), 5.9 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.8 blocks, 0.7 steals
Minutes per game: 22.4
Previous ranking: #4
Team Record: 6-19
Aaliyah Edwards has been highly impactful for the Mystics. The #6 pick in the WNBA Draft, Edwards has exceeded expectations with her play early on, showing a soft touch around the rim and comfortability on both ends of the floor. She has the best field goal percentage (49%) among all WNBA rookies, and has shown that her game can translate well to the pros. She’s also grown offensively as of late, putting up double-figure scoring numbers in three of her last four games before the break.
Her standout performance of the season (so far) was a 23-point, 14-rebound outing against the Sky on June 6th. After that game, teammate Shatori Walker-Kimbrough sung Edwards’ praises.
“I just need everyone to know when everyone’s talking about the rookie class, don’t forget her name,” Walker-Kimbrough said. “She made a statement today. She makes a statement every day. She comes in, she works. She puts her head down and works. She needs a little bit more talk, and she doesn’t let that affect her.”
3. Rickea Jackson, Los Angeles Sparks
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Stats: 11.4 points (45% FG), 3.9 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.5 steals
Minutes per game: 26.1
Previous ranking: #5
Team Record: 6-18
Rickea Jackson moves up two spots, and she’d be higher if it weren’t for the fact this rookie class has several standouts that already have the top spots on lock.
Jackson is the third leading scorer among all WNBA rookies, and she’s done so efficiently — shooting 45% from the field. She recently signed an endorsement contract with Skechers, but it’s fair to say she hasn’t received sufficient national attention despite being one of three rookies averaging double-figures.
“She really belongs, there’s not enough noise about what Rickea Jackson is doing,” Sparks head coach Curt Miller said after the team’s last game before the break. “She’s having a tremendous rookie year and there’s more than just a couple of rookies in this class. I hope that the national buzz continues to pick up because she has a really, really bright future.”
2. Angel Reese, Chicago Sky
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Stats: 13.5 points (40.2% FG), 12 rebounds (4.7 offensive), 1.8 rebounds, 1.4 steals
Minutes per game: 31.7
Previous ranking: #2
Team Record: 10-14
There’s no other way to put it: Angel Reese is in the midst of a historic rookie season. She broke a WNBA record for most consecutive double-doubles (15) last month, and is the leading rebounder in the league, averaging 12 boards a night.
Reese has had several marquee performances — headlined by a 27-point, 10-assist outing in a win over the Storm in July, and a 25-point, 16-rebound performance in a win over the Fever in June — but the most impressive part of her rookie season has been her consistency. She’s grabbed double-digit rebounds in every game since June 1st, and has had 18 double-doubles in 24 games.
Many notable WNBA players, NBA players, and media personalities have named Angel Reese as their choice for Rookie of the Year, a list that includes Jaylen Brown and Breanna Stewart.
And in a normal year, Reese would be the runaway favorite for Rookie of the Year. But, this is not a normal year.
1. Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever
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Stats: 17.1 points (40.5% FG, 32.7% 3P), 8.2 assists, 5.8 rebounds, 1.5 steals, 5.6 turnovers
Minutes per game: 35.2
Previous ranking: #1
Team Record: 11-15
For a moment there, the Rookie of the Year race was close. Then, Caitlin Clark happened.
She is leading the entire WNBA in assists per game, and already broke the all-time single-game assist record with 19 assists (that’s not just for rookies, that’s everybody). She’s somehow also been the third-leading rebounder among WNBA rookies, while leading all rookies in scoring.
There was a learning curve in the beginning, and there still is one — the 5.6 turnovers a game are not ideal, and she’ll want to cut them down, even though her free-flowing play style will always put her at risk for more turnovers than most.
But, Clark’s shouldering an offensive role that’s unrivaled in this rookie class, and she’s been on a particularly insane stretch as of late — in her last five games before the Olympic break, she averaged 21.8 points and 12.8 assists per game.
Here’s stat that best captures her impact, per Rebecca Lobo: Caitlin Clark has scored or assisted on 849 of the Fever ‘s 2,033 points this season (41.8%) — the most points (and highest percentage of team points) by any player this season. Pretty unreal stuff, especially for a rookie.
