These Women Are The Top WNBA Rookies To Watch

Interest in women’s sports has been dominating conversations both online and off, with the WNBA being no exception. And part of the intrigue is watchers’ speculation about who will be the new WNBA Rookie of the Year.

The WNBA is on hiatus while some players participate in the Paris Olympics, but as we await the league’s mid-August return, let’s take a look at standouts from the 2024 rookie class that are making history, setting trends, and becoming household names. 

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark, currently holds the record for assists in a single game after landing 19 assists in the Fever’s game against the Dallas Wings. While playing the New York Liberty in Indianapolis, she ended the game with 19 points, 13 assists, and 12 rebounds. This made her the first rookie in league history to land a triple-double in a single game.

She continued to set records at this year’s All Star WNBA game, where she was the only rookie in the starting line up and set a rookie All Star record of 10 assists. She credits her high basketball IQ to her ability to create plays ahead of time on the court and she’s confident that she’ll make most of the shots she takes. She’s a leading contender for rookie of the year.

Dallas Wings Guard, Jacy Sheldon, stepped into her team’s starting line up after losing players to injuries. She had a career high of 16 points in the Wings’ game against the Washington Mystics. This game and the three games before displayed her improvement, as her per-game averages for the games increased to 11 points, four rebounds and 2.8 assists. She made CBS’ WNBA rookie rankings list for the first time in late June.

Angel Reese, Chicago Sky forward, also earned a spot on the 2024 WNBA All Star team and helped the team beat Team USA in July’s All Star game. She finished the game with a double-double where she had 12 points and 11 rebounds. She also had 15 consecutive game double-doubles, setting the WNBA record.

Coming in as a No. 7 draft pick, critics doubted her preparedness. Despite this, she continues to grow offensively while playing with the Sky, averaging 13.5 points and 11.9 rebounds per game. She also has a place on the potential rookie of the year list. 

LA Sparks forward Rickea Jackson went from starting games on the bench to starting on the court. She’s started 19 out of 24 games in the season and averages 11.2 points per game. Jackson also signed a brand deal with Skechers, making her the first WNBA player in the brand’s history to sign with them.

She sees the sneakers’ growth in popularity within basketball and the brand sees the same in her. Greg Smith, Skechers vice president of product development and merchandising, told news outlets, “Rickea is not only a rising star in the WNBA with a bright future in the sport, but she also believes in the brand and loves Skechers’ on and off-court product.”

Belgium native and Washington Mystics guard, Julie Vanloo, brought her talents from playing for Belgium’s national team. The oldest rookie in the league (31), she wanted to play for the WNBA since she attended a 2019 LA Sparks game while on vacation in America. Her talent hadn’t reached league level yet but she kept at the sport and earned her place on the Mystics.

According to The Next Hoops, “Vanloo already has the most 3-pointers in a rookie season by an undrafted WNBA player, and she’s on pace to challenge Atlanta Dream guard Rhyne Howard’s overall rookie record of 85.”

Where Leonie Fiebich lacks in per-game averages, she makes up for in minutes played on the court. The New York Liberty averages 19 minutes in playing time per game. In the Liberty’s game against the Atlanta Dream, Fiebich ended with 10 points, three steals and two 3-pointers. She’s the second rookie who has accomplished this in a single game.

She’s also playing as part of Germany’s Olympic women’s basketball team at the Olympics. Although she suffered from an ankle roll in Germany’s game against Belgium, she returned after half time ready to help her team to their 75-64 win.