The WNBA playoff race is shaping up, with Caitlin Clark and the Fever currently sitting in eighth place, 

which would earn them the final postseason bid, thanks to a win over the Sky on Sunday.

 Clark, who is leading the Rookie of the Year race, finished that game with 23 points, nine assists and eight rebounds. 

There’s a lot of basketball left to play, but if the season ended today, the Fever would earn a playoff spot for the first time since 2016.

The Chicago Sky (ninth place), L.A. Sparks (10th place) and Washington Mystics (12th place) are currently out of the playoff field. 

But each team has its own high-performing rookies who are continuing to improve. 

Postseason-bound or not, these six first-year players are shaping the futures of their respective teams. And if they continue to progress, the playoffs may not be out of reach.

The Chicago Sky are on a four-game slide with losses to Atlanta, Connecticut, Washington and Indiana, but there is a bright spot. Reese and Cardoso are establishing themselves as the future of the franchise.

One of Reese’s biggest draws as the No. 7 pick in the draft was her motor, and that’s translated to the WNBA. Reese was a rebounding machine in college, averaging 13.4 rebounds per game as a senior. 

Now, she’s hitting the glass for the Chicago Sky, grabbing 10.2 boards per game, which is fourth in the league behind established stars A’ja Wilson, Dearica Hamby and Napheesa Collier. And when it comes to offensive rebounds, Reese leads the league with 4.6 per game. That’s 1.5 offensive rebounds better than Ezi Magbegor, who is second.

For Reese, the next step in improving her game is efficiency. Despite putting up 12.1 points per game, she’s struggled to finish around the rim, shooting just 37.1% from the field. In her last outing, a 91-83 loss to the Fever, Reese went 4-of-13 from the field. But those numbers seem to be improving overall. In the three games prior to the Fever loss, Reese shot 53% from the field.

If Reese improves her efficiency, she will also improve her Rookie of the Year chances. Indiana’s Clark is the current favorite, but Reese is playing herself into contention. She’s recorded six double-doubles in a row since the start of June, and despite the shooting numbers, Reese had a stellar game Sunday against the Fever overall, finishing with 11 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and a block.

Cardoso also had her best game of the season against Indiana, finishing with 10 points, 10 rebounds, two assists and a block for her first double-double as a pro. Cardoso has a smaller sample size than Reese after missing the first six games of the season with a shoulder injury,

but now that she’s healthy, the South Carolina grad is establishing herself as a key piece for Chicago. Cardoso has played in seven games, earning a starting spot in the last four and is averaging 8.4 points and 6.3 rebounds per contest.

The wins aren’t coming right now for the 4-9 Sky, but Reese and Cardoso are establishing themselves as a powerful pair in the paint. Even if Chicago misses the playoffs, the future is bright with the SEC duo as the team’s foundation.

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Source: Tampa Bay Times