The 2024 WNBA season is about a quarter way through a 40-game schedule. And all eyes are on Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark and one of the most anticipated rookie classes in league history.
The rookie class is loaded with potential future stars. In addition to Clark, forwards Cameron Brink, the No. 2 draft pick with the Los Angeles Sparks, and Angel Reese, the No. 7 pick to the Chicago Sky, are among the rookies consistently in starting lineups.
How are the top rookies playing? We'll track their performances every time they take the court, so check back every game day.
Last updated: June 14
Aaliyah Edwards, Washington Mystics
Forward | 6-foot-3 | Game log | Stats
Last time out: What's this? A winning streak? Indeed, after starting the season 0-12, the Mystics got their second victory in a row Friday, beating the visiting Chicago Sky. Edwards had 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the field, plus a team-high 9 rebounds. She added 3 blocked shots and 2 assists.
What we learned: Brittney Sykes was out again for Friday night's game after a brief return to the lineup. Sykes was injured in the second game of the season in May, then came back with 18 points in Tuesday's win at the Atlanta Dream. But Sykes suffered a sprained left foot vs. the Dream and is now expected to be out at least another two weeks.
Even with that disappointment and the continued absence of injured center Shakira Austin (who has played just six games), Washington has started to find its groove -- and Edwards has a lot to do with that. The No. 6 pick in April's draft, Edwards has scored in double figures in four of her past six games and is averaging 9.1 PPG. -- Michael Voepel
Up next: at Indiana Fever on Wednesday (7 p.m. ET, NBA TV)
Rickea Jackson, Los Angeles Sparks
Forward | 6-foot-2 | Game log | Stats
Last time out: Although the Sparks fell to the Minnesota Lynx 81-76 Friday evening in Minneapolis, Jackson had the best game of her rookie campaign. She finished the game with a season- and team-high 19 points and 10 rebounds, good for her first double-double as a Spark. Jackson was involved in other ways as well, with three assists and a steal -- while also picking up three fouls and committing four turnovers.
What we learned: Jackson scored the Sparks' first points of the game on a layup off a drive to the rim. She then showed off the versatility Los Angeles wanted when it drafted her: from sinking a pull-up jumper and drawing fouls (she went 7-for-8 from the free throw line) to grabbing an offensive rebound and scoring on the putback. With eight fourth-quarter points, she helped the Sparks put together one last push, at one point converting through a double-team under the rim and then sinking a floater with 10.1 seconds remaining to make it a three-point game. -- Alexa Philippou
Up next: at Atlanta Dream on Sunday (3 p.m. ET, ESPN3)
Cameron Brink, Los Angeles Sparks
Forward | 6-foot-4 | Game log | Stats
Last time out: Brink went scoreless (0-for-6 from the field, 0-for-2 from 3), picked up 4 fouls and committed 4 turnovers in just under 18 minutes. She also had 4 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 steals, though notably didn't register any of her trademark rejections. It was the first time she went scoreless, and the first time she didn't notch a block, in a game this season.
What we learned: Brink made some good plays -- a great dime to Jackson under the basket in the first quarter, for instance -- but it never really felt like her night, inevitable for any rookie still adjusting to the pros. Early in the game, Brink was blocked on multiple shot attempts down low by Lynx players, then picked up two first-quarter fouls. She got called for her third toward the end of the first half and her fourth early in the second. Staying out of foul trouble remains a primary area of growth for Brink, who has picked up four fouls in all but three games this season.
Brink and Jackson also combined for eight of Los Angeles' 21 turnovers, which helped the Lynx erase an early 12-point Sparks lead and come away with the win. -- Philippou
Up next: at Atlanta Dream on Sunday (3 p.m. ET, ESPN3)
Kamilla Cardoso, Chicago Sky
Center | 6-foot-7 | Game log | Stats
Last time out: This was another frustrating game for the Sky, who have lost three in a row and five of the past six. As was the case June 1 at Indiana, guard Marina Mabrey went to the foul line in the closing seconds attempting to tie the game but missed the first free throw. On Friday against Washington, she intentionally missed her second free throw in hopes of a putback, but Chicago lost 83-81.
Cardoso stood out, however, going 4-of-5 from the field and 4-of-6 from the foul line to finish with 12 points. She also had 4 rebounds and 2 assists.
What we learned: Cardoso, who missed the first six games of the season with a shoulder injury, has scored in double figures in four of the six games she has played. She is averaging 8.2 points and 5.7 rebounds over that stretch. The Sky haven't gotten the results they've wanted, but the rookie center has shown her effectiveness and ability to become a bigger part of the offense. -- Voepel
Up next: at Indiana Fever on Sunday (Noon ET, CBS)
Angel Reese, Chicago Sky
Forward | 6-foot-3 | Game log | Stats
Last time out: Another reason this game was frustrating for the Sky was how they fought back from a 15-point deficit yet still couldn't get the victory at Washington. Reese had the sixth double-double of her rookie season, this time with 10 points and a season-high 14 rebounds. Despite shooting 80% from the field vs. Connecticut and 50% vs. Atlanta in her past two games, Reese was just 3-of-10 from field against the Mystics.
What we learned: Whatever Reese's issues might be on the offensive end with shooting, nothing has slowed down her rebounding. She has been in double figures on the glass for the past six games. That ties current Atlanta Dream center Tina Charles (2010) and former WNBA player Cindy Brown (1999) for the longest such streak by a rookie. -- Voepel
Up next: at Indiana Fever on Sunday (Noon ET, CBS)
Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever
Guard | 6-foot | Game log | Stats
Last time out: The Fever had a listless 89-72 loss at Connecticut on Monday and needed a better showing in front of their home crowd Thursday in Indianapolis. They got it with a 91-84 victory over the Atlanta Dream. Clark had 7 points on 3-of-11 shooting, 6 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 blocked shots. She played a team-high 35 minutes and had a plus/minus of plus-2. Turnovers have been Clark's bugaboo; she had 7. But in crunch time after the Dream rallied, the Fever took pretty good care of the ball and closed out the victory to move to 4-10.
What we learned: The Fever's 59 first-half points were the franchise's most in a half since 2020, and Indiana's ball movement was a key to that. Points were harder to come by in the second half, especially in the Fever's 14-point third quarter. In fact, it seemed as if all the Fever's good work in the first half might be undone when Atlanta took the lead with 3:37 left in the game. But Indiana battled back on a combined 12 points from Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell, plus forced Atlanta into back-to-back shot-clock violations. Clark was part of that defensive effort. Boston, last season's WNBA Rookie of the Year, tied career highs in points (27) and field goals (12) and was one off her career high in rebounds (13). Coach Christie Sides, who criticized the Fever's effort Monday, was much happier on Thursday. "We have a set of standards," Sides said. "I thought we didn't meet those the other night against Connecticut and [the players] thought the same. I thought they did it tonight." -- Voepel
Up next: vs. Chicago Sky on Sunday (Noon ET, CBS)