Essentially Sports had an exclusive chat with the Georgia Bulldogs star Asia Avinger on Friday when she was asked to share the names of three  basketball players she admires. Avinger named Sue Bird and while she was looking for more names, our correspondent BG12 reminded her of Clark, but to everyone’s surprise, the junior guard didn’t seem too keen to include Clark on her list of favorites. Let’s look at the reason why:

Asia Avinger: “I really love what Caitlin Clark is doing but she’s not my favorite right now. See that’s a tough conversation (on if Clark deserves the Rookie of the Year) because she did (on making history) and I am looking at the numbers at why I am being statistical right now. She is averaging like 15 and 7 right now but also you got Angel Reese. She just broke the record for consecutive double-doubles. And it’s kind of up for debate. I absolutely love what she (Clark) is doing.”

After drafting Clark, the Indiana Fever has seen an unprecedented rise in their fan following, as they have amassed around 15,691 fans per game in their first 13 games. They lost 10 out of those 13 games, but the fans kept turning up. The Fever also averaged 16,571 in the five home games which is only 700 spectators less than their seating capacity at the Gainsbridge Arena. Not only that, the league has benefitted as a whole from Clark’s arrival which is evident in the viewing numbers, as the W averages 1.32 million viewers across various networks, which is almost triple their average from last season.

The stadiums are filled to almost 94% capacity, which is a 17% rise from last season. In the first month of this season, around 400,000 fans attended the contests which has been the most in 26 years. And Clark has followed that up by living up to the expectations with her skills. In terms of stats, Clark averages a whopping 17.1 points with 5.8 rebounds and 8.2 assists per game. She became the first WNBA rookie to score a triple-double when she hit 19 points, 12 rebounds and 13 assists against the New York Liberty in early July. She also followed that up by breaking Courtney Vandersloot’s record of the most assists in a single WNBA game by scoring 19 assists.

It looks like Clark is already ready to leave a legacy as one of the best assistmakers in the game – pretty much like Avinger’s favorite, Sue Bird. Nonetheless, Avinger shouldn’t face the music just because she didn’t include Clark in her list of favorites. There is a growing debate in the WNBA regarding that.

Who is the main contender for Caitlin Clark?

The major contender for Clark’s Rookie of the Year award is the Chicago Sky star, Angel Reese. Reese has scored 16 double-doubles, 15 consecutively, breaking Candace Parker’s record of the most consecutive double-doubles. She also looks in a better position to propel her team to the WNBA playoffs, something that experts like LaChina Robinson feel will be a central point when deciding the Rookie of the Year.

Chicago Sky is in a rebuilding phase and has been doing quite well. They have delivered good results despite having a new head coach in Teresa Weatherspoon. However, Fox News recently claimed that the odds were in favor of Clark to take home the ROTY award by a hefty margin.

But, now Avinger leaning towards Reese for the ROTY award will make fans introspect their stand. As for Clark, maybe while the W is on a break due to the Paris Olympics, she can access her situation and dream. Who knows, she might even win her critics’ hearts soon in the second half.

Stay tuned for more such updates and join us for the exciting pilot episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and SEC All-Freshman Team Selection, Silas Demary Jr