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One of the most-hyped rookie classes in WNBA history is already off to an impressive start. Let’s rank them.
The 2024 WNBA Draft class – one of the most highly anticipated in league history – is entering its third week of the season, and while there have been several standouts, there have also been a fair share of growing pains.
Three of the heavily hyped rookies are averaging double figures — Cameron Brink, Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese — while several others have begun to look increasingly comfortable offensively.
And with Rookie of the Year likely to be a hotly contested battle all season in a class this talented, let’s take an early look at the eight best so far.
8. Kate Martin, Las Vegas Aces
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Stats: 5 points (30.8% FG), 4.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists
Team Record: 3-1
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the draft class, Kate Martin was selected in the second round by the Aces and made the final roster despite most expecting her to be cut in training camp.
Martin was impactful during her Iowa tenure, but was never viewed as a serious draft prospect until some standout performances in the NCAA tournament. The Aces have only played three games so far, but Martin has been the eighth-leading scorer among rookies, averaging 5 points per game in 21 minutes a night. She’s more than earned her nickname of Kate “Money” Martin, and has earned rave reviews from her teammates and coaches for her ability to defend and be in the right place at the right time.
7. Sevgi Uzun, Dallas Wings
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Stats: 6 points (38.7% FG, 41.7% on threes), 5.8 assists, 2.4 rebounds, 1.2 steals
Team Record: 3-2
Sevgi Uzun, a 26 year old guard from Turkey, is one of two impactful rookies in this ranking who signed in free agency from overseas. Uzun has played the second-most minutes of all rookies (31 a night) and has collected the second-most assists to cement her early seventh-best status.
6. Aaliyah Edwards, Washington Mystics
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Stats: 6.5 points (41% FG), 4.2 rebounds, 1 assists
Team Record: 0-6
Aaliyah Edwards — after a standout career at UConn — is off to a solid start with the Mystics, who remain the only winless team in the WNBA. Through five games, she’s only had one double-figure scoring performance, but has been playing big minutes and battling well against opposing bigs.
5. Julie Vanloo, Washington Mystics
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Stats: 9.8 points (45.8% FG, 38.9% from three), 5.5 assists, 3 rebounds
Team Record: 0-6
Like Uzun above, Julie Vanloo is not your average rookie; the 31-year-old has been a professional basketball player overseas over the last dozen years, and was signed as a free agent by the Mystics in February. But she’s been one of the rookie class’s most effective playmakers so far, with her experience shining through for a Mystics team undergoing a rebuilding year.
4. Rickea Jackson, Los Angeles Sparks
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Stats: 9.8 points (54.8% FG, 50% from three), 2.4 rebounds
Team Record: 1-4
Rickea Jackson, picked fourth overall, has been one of two standout rookies for the Sparks. Jackson has been the most efficient rookie in the talented 2024 draft class, and had a standout game against the Fever on Friday, scoring 16 points on 5-7 shooting in 21 minutes. Jackson is coming off the bench and attempting just 6.6 shots per night, but looks to be ready for a larger role in Los Angeles.
3. Angel Reese, Chicago Sky
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Stats: 12.3 points (35.7% FG, 63.3% FT), 7.8 rebounds (4.5 offensive), 1.5 assists
Team Record: 2-2
Many predicted Angel Reese would have a difficult transition from college to the pros due to her limited offensive game, and she has struggled a bit with inefficiency. But Reese has still been one of the top rookies in the class through the first couple weeks of the season. She’s the second-leading scorer among all rookies, and has scored in double-figures in each of her first four games. She got under Alyssa Thomas’s skin on Friday night, so much so that Thomas, one of the best players in the league, fouled her hard out of frustration and got ejected. In an early display of her professionalism and mindset, Reese thanked Thomas for doing so, saying postgame “I got back up and I kept going and kept pushing.”
More importantly for Reese, her Chicago Sky, ranked last in ESPN’s preseason WNBA rankings, have won two of their first four games, including an impressive victory over the Liberty, who were previously undefeated. Reese has played a core part of the Sky, drawing more national eyeballs to the franchise but also consistently producing on the court.
2. Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever
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Stats: 15.4 points (37.1% FG, 31.6% from three), 6.3 assists, 5.4 rebounds, 5.3 turnovers, 1.1 steals
Team Record: 1-6
For all the discourse around her early struggles, Caitlin Clark has still been impactful in the early days of her pro career as she adjusts to life as a starting point guard in the WNBA. Clark is leading all rookies in scoring by nearly 5 points, and is also the second-leading rebounder among first-year players.
The biggest challenge for Clark so far has been taking care of the ball; she broke a Fever franchise record in turnovers in her first game of the season, and has had four games with at least 5 turnovers. But she’s done it all amidst Indiana’s extraordinarily difficult slate of opponents to start – facing off against the Sun twice, Liberty twice, and Aces once — all amidst a historically busy schedule, with the Fever played seven games this season when most teams have only played four or five.
1. Cameron Brink, Los Angeles Sparks
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Stats: 10.8 points (52.8% FG), 5.2 rebounds, 3.2 blocks, 2.4 assists
Team Record: 1-4
Cameron Brink, drafted second overall by the Sparks after an illustrious career at Stanford, has been the most impactful rookie in the draft class through the first three weeks of the WNBA season. Through five games, Brink is averaging 10.8 points on 53.8% shooting, most recently capped by a 21-point, 7-12 shooting performance. She’s also the league leader in blocks so far, averaging 3.2 rejections per night.
Defense has always been what Brink is most known for, and so far, that’s translated quite well. The extra foul allowed in the WNBA has gone a long way; she frequently fouled out of games in college, but is allowed a sixth personal foul at the professional level. She racked up five fouls in three of her first five games, so while whistles are something she’ll still have to minimize, she has yet to foul out.
Agree with the rankings? Think someone should have been higher or lower? Let us know in the comments below.
