ESPN
Jun 21, 2024, 10:00 PM ET
The 2024 WNBA season is only 5 weeks old, and rookies remain a dominant storyline.
But Cameron Brink, one of the top players in one of the most anticipated rookie classes in league history, is out for the rest of the season after suffering a torn ACL on Tuesday.
The No. 2 pick in April's draft, Brink went down in the first quarter of the Los Angeles Sparks' loss. The Sparks on Wednesday confirmed the injury.
Like fellow rookies Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever and Angel Reese of the Chicago Sky, Brink had started every game for her team this season.
"You never think it will happen to you," Brink wrote Wednesday on Instagram. "And despite all the hard work sometimes it does. This is hard to fathom but I know it will only make me stronger."
We will continue to track the top rookie performances every time they take the court, so check back every game day.
Last updated: June 20
Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever
Guard | 6-foot | Game log | Stats
Last time out: For the first time in her career, Clark got to enjoy the late stages of a victory from the bench as the Fever extended their winning streak to four games -- the franchise's longest since 2015 -- with a 91-79 road win over the Atlanta Dream. Before Friday, Indiana's biggest margin of victory this season had been eight points.
Clark played a key role in one of the best shooting nights in Fever history. Indiana shot a sizzling 63% over the first three quarters. Though Indiana cooled off in the final period, it still finished with the fourth-best effective field goal percentage (.654) in franchise history thanks to 11-of-21 accuracy beyond the arc.
Clark contributed 16 points on 6-of-12 shooting, making four of Indiana's 3s. She also handed out a team-high seven assists, including four in the opening quarter.
What we learned: Besides the fact that Indiana's home success during the first three games of the winning streak can travel, that the Fever can thrive playing Clark alongside point guard Erica Wheeler. That configuration moves Clark off the ball, freeing her from the defensive pressure teams can use when she brings the ball up. She shook loose for a pair of 3s in the second quarter playing with Wheeler, allowing Indiana to extend its lead with both Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell on the bench. -- Kevin Pelton
Up next: at Chicago Sky on Sunday (4 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Angel Reese, Chicago Sky
Forward | 6-foot-3 | Game log | Stats
Last time out: Angel Reese was a rebounding machine in college, and the machine has not slowed down in the WNBA. In Thursday's 83-72 victory over Dallas, Reese had her season high with 18 rebounds, to go with 16 points, 3 assists and 2 steals. Reese now has the WNBA rookie record for consecutive double-doubles with seven in a row. The overall record for consecutive double-doubles is 12, set by Candace Parker in 2009-10. The WNBA rookie record for rebounds in a game is 23 by Tina Charles in 2010 with the Connecticut Sun. Reese's single-game rebounding record while in college was 28 in her first season at LSU, Jan. 5, 2023, against Texas A&M. Reese is the first rookie since Dallas' Satou Sabally to have a 15-point, 15 rebound game.
What we learned: This was a meeting of two teams that really needed a victory. Chicago came in having lost four in a row and six of its last seven. Dallas had lost eight in a row. That's nine now, and the Wings must hope they can get a win at last-place Washington with two games in the nation's capital this weekend. Meanwhile the Sky moved to 5-9 and face the Indiana Fever for the third time this season on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET (ESPN) in Chicago. Considering the drama in the first two meetings - both Fever victories that included flagrant fouls against Indiana's Caitlin Clark -- it's a hot ticket. -- Michael Voepel
Up next: vs. Indiana Fever on Sunday (ESPN, 4 ET)
Kamilla Cardoso, Chicago Sky
Center | 6-foot-7 | Game log | Stats
Last time out: Cardoso had 9 points, 11 rebounds, 2 blocks and a steal in the Sky's 83-72 victory Thursday over Chicago. So, yes, Reese and Cardoso between them had 29 of the Sky's 39 rebounds. That's twin-tower stuff, just what the Sky hoped for in drafting these two former college rivals. In the previous game, Sunday at Indiana, Cardoso and Reese became the first rookie teammates to get double-doubles in the same game since 2008, and they came close to doing it again Thursday in Chicago.
What we learned: If there's a small concern for Cardoso in the last two games, it's shooting percentage. She was 4 of 10 on Thursday, and 4 of 11 last Sunday. For the season, she is shooting 47.4% from the field. -- Voepel
Up next: vs. Indiana Fever on Sunday (ESPN, 4 ET)
Rickea Jackson, Los Angeles Sparks
Forward | 6-foot-2 | Game log | Stats
Last time out: Playing for the first time since Cameron Brink's ACL tear at Connecticut, Jackson did not see more offensive opportunities in a 93-80 road loss to the New York Liberty. Despite scoring four points in the first 4:10, Jackson finished with six points -- her lowest total since June 11 -- and just one rebound. Her 21 minutes played were also Jackson's lowest total in that four-game span.
What we learned: Although the Sparks moved center Li Yueru into the starting lineup to replace Brink, Jackson did see more action in the frontcourt. When Los Angeles went to its second unit, Dearica Hamby shifted to center to replace Li, with Jackson sliding down to power forward. Jackson will likely continue in that role until either Azura Stevens returns to the lineup or Los Angeles adds a player via hardship if eligible. -- Pelton
Up next: at New York Liberty on Saturday (3 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Aaliyah Edwards, Washington Mystics
Forward | 6-foot-3 | Game log | Stats
Last time out: It seemed early in Wednesday's 88-81 loss to Indiana that Edwards was going to be targeted by Indiana post player Aliyah Boston. The Fever standout is in her second year, so she knows what it's like being a rookie in the paint.
Boston might be young, too, but she was teaching school Wednesday. She finished with 22 points on 8 of 11 shooting from the field and 5 of 5 from the line. According to Second Spectrum, Boston had 8 points on 3 of 4 shooting against Edwards as the primary defender. Still, the rookie shouldn't feel bad; Boston also 6 points on 3 of 3 shooting against veteran Stefanie Dolson. Offensively, Edwards was 1 of 6 from the field for and 2 of 2 from the line for 4 points.
What we learned: Overall, Edwards' June has been good, especially for a rookie post player on a team with the fewest wins in the league. In her seven games this month, Edwards has scored in double figures four times, averaging 11.4 points and 8.6 rebounds. -- Voepel
Up next: vs. Dallas Wings on Saturday (3 p.m. ET, ESPN3)
