USC basketball star JuJu Watkins names her favorite to be the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year, and it's not Caitlin Clark

JuJu Watkins attended the 2024 ESPY Awards on Thursday, where she was asked about her pick for the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year. Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark lead the race right now and are much ahead of other rookies. Talking to GQ Sports, Watkins said:

"As of right now, I got Angel. She's been killing it."

Angel Reese, the No. 7 pick in the 2024 WNBA draft, is having a record-breaking season with the Chicago Sky. She now holds the WNBA record for double-doubles collected in a season with 14 straight games. The forward is averaging 14.0 points and 11.9 rebounds per game.

Caitlin Clark, the first overall pick, is also having a good season averaging 16.7 points and 7.6 assists in 23 games. However, she also broke the record for most turnovers by a rookie in one season (127).

JuJu Watkins was also asked about Las Vegas Aces' A'ja Wilson, and she said:

“She's been having a remarkable season already and, you know, we're not even midway through. So, just to see what she's doing this season, definitely inspiring." (H/T Sports Illustrated)

JuJu Watkins wins Breakthrough Athlete award at ESPYs

In her freshman season with the USC Trojans, JuJu Watkins led the team to their first Elite Eight appearance since 1994. She averaged 27.1 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 3.3 assists while shooting 40.1% from the floor, including 31.9% from beyond the arc.

After the historic season, JuJu Watkins was named the Best Breakthrough Athlete at the 2024 ESPY Awards on Thursday. Previous winners of this award include Angel Reese, Donovan Mitchell and Colin Kaepernick.

“This is crazy. I want to thank all the great, powerful women who came before me that made this possible,” Watkins said in her acceptance speech.

In the upcoming season, JuJu Watkins is expected to lead from the front once again. However, this time she will be supported by a roster strengthened by the additions of KiKi Iriafen and Talia von Oelhoffen from the transfer portal. The Trojans are also ranked No. 1 in the 2024 recruiting class with top-ranked freshman joining in.

With Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese in the WNBA, Watkins is also expected to be the face of women's college basketball along with Hannah Hidalgo and Paige Bueckers. Watkins is aware of the impact she has, as she said in an interview with USA Today:

“To see the little boys in my jersey, that’s crazy. It negates all the sexist points of views and sexist ways of thinking about our game. To know a boy can look up to a girl and not try to take anything away from her game, to not have to compare her to a man but just to love her game, that’s how barriers are broken. That’s how we make the world better.”

Do you agree with JuJu Watkins' ROTY predictions? And do you think she can lead the Trojans to a title win next season? Let us know in the comments.