The 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year Award race has been (and will continue to be) one of the most polarizing debates in the women’s basketball world.

This is because the two rookies who have a realistic chance of winning the award (Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark) are also arguably the two most popular figures in the sport.

Everybody has a take about whether Reese or Clark is deserving of ROTY.

Yet, ESPN made it clear in a July 11 article that they believe Reese currently holds pole position for the award.

And they offered a few reasons as to why.

Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese (5) smiles before a basketball game against the Connecticut Sun at Wintrust Arena.

“For the most part, Reese has been a stat-stuffing dynamo in her debut campaign,” the article writes.

“She is a close second (behind Clark) in points per 100 possessions among rookies, leads by a mile in rebound rate and has been the best active defensive rookie following Brink’s injury June 19.

“And aside from teammate Lindsay Allen, no member of the Sky has been associated with more of an uptick in the team’s performance while on the court than Reese, who has overseen a 16.6-point improvement in Chicago’s net rating when she’s in the game.”

That would explain it.