Olivia Miles has been, in every sense of the word, brilliant to start her rookie season. She leads the top team in the league in points and assists per game and has already made a very legitimate MVP case by doing so. Although phenomenal, her success isn’t overly surprising. Miles was primed to take the WNBA by storm and maybe even break a few rookie records along the way.
Caitlin Clark set a mind-blowing new record for total assists in a rookie season in 2024. Ticha Penicheiro had held the record since 1998 when she dished out 224 assists. Clark recorded 337. She played ten more games than Penicheiro, but the gap is still massive.
If anyone had a chance to break that record, it would be Miles, who has been dubbed a generational talent for her passing ability. But 15 games into the season, the Lynx star is still miles away from Clark’s record.
Miles has recorded 86 assists so far and needs 251 to tie Clark’s record. That would be 8.6 assists per game if she plays all remaining 29 regular-season games—way more than her average of 5.7 assists per game. So, maybe Clark’s assist record will remain untouched after all. Seeing Miles struggle to match her numbers just shows how impressive Clark’s passing was in her rookie season.
Miles still holds her own in rookie comparisons with Clark
Miles and Clark are the two best point guards to enter the WNBA in the last few years (plus Paige Bueckers if you want to count her as a point guard), so comparing them is only natural. Miles may not break Clark’s rookie record, but her numbers still stack up well against Clark’s rookie season.
Clark averaged 19.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 8.4 assists, and 1.3 steals as a rookie. Miles is very close in points per game with 19, but she also averages five fewer minutes than Clark did, so her scoring average is actually a bit more impressive. Miles is also scoring more efficiently than Clark did all across the board, shooting 56.6% from the field compared to Clark’s 41.7%.
Moreover, Miles may average almost three fewer assists, but with 3.3 turnovers per game, she also takes much better care of the ball than Clark, who averaged 5.6 turnovers per game.
Miles’s biggest flex is how good Minnesota is. Clark’s Fever team made the playoffs in her rookie season, but it was far from the force the Lynx have emerged as this season. And Miles has been instrumental to that success. She has established herself as the best player on a roster that features veteran stars Courtney Williams, Kayla McBride, and Natasha Howard.
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