Power Ranking Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Cameron Brink and 2024 WNBA 1st-Round Picks
Much was expected of the 2024 WNBA draft class, and so far the group is delivering in more ways than one.
The Indiana Fever's Caitlin Clark has proven to be a massive box-office draw while not quite thriving straight out of the gate as some expected.
Not only has Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese brought her sizable following with her, but she's mounting an early Rookie of the Year charge.
Guard Rickea Jackson and forward Cameron Brink are providing some hope for the Los Angeles Sparks amid a 4-10 start. Washington Mystics forward Aaliyah Edwards has likewise been a bright spot as they sit last in the league.
Here's a look at how the first-rounders have fared so far a little over a month in. Only nine of the 12 picks have debuted in the WNBA. International prospects Carla Leite, Leïla Lacan and Nyadiew Puoch have yet to make the jump to the league, so they've been left off the list.
9. Marquesha Davis, New York Liberty
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Joining the reigning WNBA runner-up as a rookie can always be tough sledding. In the case of Marquesha Davis, she entered a backcourt that already included Sabrina Ionescu, Betnijah Laney-Hamilton and Courtney Vandersloot.
Davis has made just nine appearances and logged 23 total minutes so far. In that time, she has scored three points and collected four rebounds with one assist and one block.
8. Alissa Pili, Minnesota Lynx
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Alissa Pili's usage with the Minnesota Lynx has been more surprising, though not necessarily an indictment of her game.
The Lynx are 11-3 and look like a genuine contender, so head coach Cheryl Reeve is leaning heavily on her veterans at the expense of the younger, less experienced players.
Pili showcased her potential in a 95-71 win over the Phoenix Mercury on May 31. In just 15:09 on the floor, she scored 20 points and knocked down four threes.
That performance is a significant outlier for the 6'2" forward, who has gone scoreless in seven of her 10 appearances.
7. Jacy Sheldon, Dallas Wings
3 of 9
While the Dallas Wings already had Arike Ogunbowale, using the No. 5 overall pick on Jacy Sheldon made sense because the Ohio State guard could provide some defense and is comfortable playing off the ball.
Even when accounting for Satou Sabally's shoulder injury, the Wings have arguably been the WNBA's most disappointing team. They're off to a 3-10 start after winning 22 games and sweeping the Atlanta Dream in the first round of the playoffs in 2022.
Sheldon is still finding her footing in the WNBA. The three-point shooting hasn't yet translated (30.8 percent), and she's averaging nearly as many assists (1.8) as turnovers (1.4).
6. Cameron Brink, Los Angeles Sparks
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On defense, Brink might be even better than advertised. Her 2.5 blocks per game are tied for second in the WNBA with Las Vegas Aces star A'ja Wilson, and she has displayed a general ability to read the game away from the ball and disrupt opposing shooters.
It has been a different story on offense.
The 6'4" forward is averaging 8.1 points on 39.8 percent shooting. According to WNBA.com, she's just 3-of-12 on her attempts between five and nine feet from the basket, and her mid-range game has been even worse (4-of-15 between 10 and 19 feet).
Brink's propensity to get into foul trouble at Stanford has followed her to the pros as well. She's drawing 6.5 fouls per 36 minutes, per Basketball Reference.
Nothing about the opening month has changed Brink's long-term outlook. It has simply highlighted the areas in which she needs to improve — and should with enough work.
5. Rickea Jackson, Los Angeles Sparks
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Jackson is unquestionably outperforming her fellow first-rounder in Los Angeles.
The 6'2" forward is putting up 10.3 points per game and doing so relatively efficiently. She's shooting 47.3 percent overall and 33.3 percent from beyond the arc. Her 56.3 percent true shooting rate is second on the team behind Dearica Hamby, according to Basketball Reference.
Jackson is also doing this while playing just 23.9 minutes per contest.
If it wasn't clear already, the Sparks' 4-10 record points to what's a rebuilding year in 2024. With increasingly little to play for in the short term, head coach Curt Miller has every reason to utilize Jackson more and more as the season unfolds, so her scoring average may continue to climb.
4. Kamilla Cardoso, Chicago Sky
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A shoulder injury delayed Kamilla Cardoso's debut until June. The Most Outstanding Player from the 2024 NCAA women's tournament wasted little time making an impact once she was cleared to play.
She had 11 points and six rebounds in 18 minutes of work in her first game.
Now that she's no longer playing with a minutes restriction, Cardoso is really getting a platform with which to thrive. In her last four starts, she's averaging 11.3 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.0 block.
South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley has gone so far to say Cardoso can be a WNBA MVP in the making. While that's a bold call, the former Gamecocks star should grow to be a dominant big for a long time to come.
3. Aaliyah Edwards, Washington Mystics
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In 2018, Mystics general manager Mike Thibault struck gold when he landed two-time All-Star Ariel Atkins with the seventh overall pick. Once again, Thibault may have discovered tremendous value in the middle stage of the first round.
Edwards, the No. 6 overall pick, is fully capitalizing on her transition into the Mystics' starting lineup. Over their last six games, she's averaging 12.7 points, 9.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocks. That spell included a pair of double-doubles.
Things might be turning around for Washington, too. The team blew out the Atlanta Dream 87-68 for its first win and followed up by beating the Sky 83-81 last Friday. Upcoming games against the Fever and Wings, the latter of whom they play on back-to-back nights, present a great opportunity for the Mystics to keep their positive momentum going.
2. Angel Reese, Chicago Sky
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A case could be made for labeling Reese the standout rookie so far. She's averaging 12.1 points and 10.2 rebounds, and she's riding a double-double streak (six games) that puts her into elite territory.
Head coach Teresa Weatherspoon believes Reese deserves to be at the top of the Rookie of the Year discussion.
If you want to poke holes in the 6'3" forward's game, though, she hasn't dispelled the concerns about her lack of range. She's shooting just 37.1 percent overall, including 22.6 percent from five feet and further, per WNBA.com.
It's also tough to know how much value Reese's league-leading 4.6 offensive rebounds per game actually provide when crashing the offensive glass is no longer a priority anymore.
Still, Reese's consistency speaks for itself.
1. Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever
9 of 9
The expectations thrust upon Clark were unrealistic because the caliber of play is simply too high in the WNBA. Candace Parker winning MVP as a rookie in 2008 is the kind of thing that happens once a generation — if that.
Having said that, Clark's performance has still left a little to be desired. She's shooting just 38.3 percent from the field and 32.8 percent, and she's turning the ball over 5.5 times per game.
Then there's the Fever's record (5-10).
Granted, it's not as though Clark is the only star rookie on a bad team. Not to mention, she's leading all first-year players in points (16.4) and assists (6.2).
Her numbers could start to steadily tick upward now that Indiana's brutal first month is in the books. According to WNBA.com, Clark is averaging 20.0 points on 43.4 percent shooting when she has two days or more of rest.
With Indiana's schedule leveling off, it could have an uplifting effect for everyone on the team.
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