JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
With less than a month left in the WNBA regular season, the sprint to the playoffs is on. The top three teams - New York, Minnesota and Connecticut - have clinched a spot in the postseason. Meanwhile, the league's star rookies have their teams in the hunt with a chance to squeak in. After a slow start to her season, Caitlin Clark is the fastest player in league history to reach 500 points and 200 assists. To help us put all of this into context, we're joined by Ben Pickman, a basketball staff writer with The Athletic. Hey, Ben.
BEN PICKMAN: Hey. How's it going?
SUMMERS: Ben, I know there were a whole lot of doubters early into Caitlin Clark's rookie season, and a number of fans were quite disappointed when she was left off of the Olympic team. But despite all of that, her team is in contention for a playoff spot, which is something the franchise has not done in years. So just sum it up for us. What do you make of Caitlin Clark's first season?
PICKMAN: It definitely got off to a little bit of a slow start. The Indiana Fever opened the season 0-5. They were just 1-8, you know, through the first couple of weeks of the year. But right now they're playing some of their best basketball. And Caitlin Clark, some of her teammates are a big reason why. I mean, Clark has made her name all over the record books. She became the first rookie to ever record a triple-double. You could rattle off a number of other accolades that she's already notched - an All-Star Game appearance. She was very impressive in that game. And there's more history potentially on the horizon.
So her team, as you mentioned it, they're rounding into form right now, eyeing their first postseason berth since 2016 - and Caitlin Clark and her star power and what she's brought to the court.
SUMMERS: Let's turn now to another rookie who has been incredible to watch this season, and that's Angel Reese, who became the first player in league history to record three straight games with 20 rebounds. Ben, let's talk about her season. Just how good has she been?
PICKMAN: Yeah. I mean, she's come in after being the No. 7 pick in the WNBA draft - so lower than Caitlin Clark, who went first overall - and made an instant impact. Her hustle, her ability to get rebounds, her tenaciousness, her grittiness and just the energy she's brought to the Chicago Sky - that's been really tangible for that franchise all year.
Now, I will say, Chicago is in a little bit of a slump. They've lost four straight. They're 3-7 over their last 10 games. And while Reese played so, so well in the first 20 games of the regular season, as a team, Chicago has struggled of late, and so very much on the edge of potentially missing the playoffs. And it shouldn't take away from how she has performed this year, and she's been really, really great and looks like a foundational piece for Chicago for many years to come.
SUMMERS: We've been talking about a couple of rookies who have really been shining this season, getting a whole lot of attention, but we can't talk about the WNBA without talking about A'ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces, who is just phenomenal. I had the opportunity to actually see her when I was in Paris for the Olympics. Can you just talk about her game, the level that she's playing at now?
PICKMAN: I mean, she's the most dominant player on both ends of the court right now. She's my pick, currently, for WNBA MVP. She averaged almost 27 points and 12 rebounds - 12 1/2 rebounds in May, then increased her scoring in June and July. And she won Western Conference player of the month in each of the season's first three months. I mean, she has been so individually brilliant this year. It's, you know, mind-boggling. And you mentioned that you saw it in Paris, too. The gold medal is just another thing that she notched to her resume.
But I will say, the Las Vegas Aces, two-time WNBA reigning champions, they have struggled a little bit compared to past years. As we have this conversation, they sit in just fifth place overall in the standing. So they still have some work to do to figure it out and try and replicate the success they've had in the fall of these past two years.
SUMMERS: Ben, last thing, all eyes are, of course, on the playoffs. How do you see that picture shaking out? Any bets?
PICKMAN: I mean, we're going to have to see how it shakes out. There's a lot to be determined. Las Vegas, where they end up is really interesting. I mentioned they're the 5 seed right now, which means they wouldn't even host a first-round series if the season ended today. And if they did make the playoffs and advance out of that first round, they would play the New York Liberty in a rematch of last year's finals, but that would happen in the semifinals. So that's really interesting. The Liberty are looking to win their first title in franchise history. They currently are the No. 1 seed, with just eight or nine games remaining. You know, anything can happen. And who knows? If Las Vegas rounds into form, maybe a threepeat is coming upon us.
SUMMERS: That's Ben Pickman, staff writer for The Athletic. Ben, thank you.
PICKMAN: Thanks a lot for having me.
(SOUNDBITE OF ANDERSON .PAAK SONG, "COME DOWN") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
