Caitlin Clark didn’t back down from the 20,000 fans in Capital One Arena on a Friday in June as she drained seven 3-pointers – tying the WNBA’s rookie record for 3-point makes in a game – and shot her way to her second 30-point night in the WNBA. She didn’t back down from the online discourse that unfolded after she was left off of Team USA’s roster for this summer’s Paris Olympics either.
Clark doesn’t quit, she doesn’t shy away from pressure, and she certainly won’t let her case to be a WNBA All-Star be overlooked.
Clark’s 16.1 points per game land her at 17th overall in a league studded with high level scorers. She’s proven her scoring prowess many times over, and draws her opponent’s best defenders on a nightly basis. Through her first 15 games in the WNBA, Clark has already faced off against 14 former All-Defensive players.
“As a competitor you don’t even know who’s guarding you half the time,” Clark said. “…Attack no matter who it is. You can’t get too frazzled about if it’s somebody really great guarding you. No matter who’s across from you, you just want to dominate and have that mindset.”
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The defensive attention on her is unprecedented, and opponents often face-guard her the full 94 feet of the court. Despite this, Clark is completing 6.2 assists per contest, trailing only MVP contender Alyssa Thomas, WNBA Champion Natasha Cloud, and 2024 Olympian Jackie Young for best nightly average in the league. She’s held down a top-five spot on the league-wide assist list through the entirety of her initial stint in the WNBA.
Clark began her professional career as a heralded rookie, mostly due to her exhilarating and timely 3-point shots and captivating playmaking skills. Despite all of this, she leads the WNBA in turnovers with 5.5 per game.
This shouldn’t eliminate her from All-Star selection ballots, however.
The turnovers are reflective of a rookie point guard that hasn’t had the valuable practice time to build on-court chemistry with her teammates. The Indiana Fever have only just begun to hold consistent and high-intensity practice sessions due to a hectic early season schedule. Not only this, but Indiana has played some of the best teams in the league – all without really practicing.
Clark is a top-five rebounding guard in the WNBA, grabbing 5.1 boards a game. She trails only eight-year WNBA veteran Courtney Williams, Chicago Sky guard Marina Mabrey, and 2023 All-Star Jewell Loyd.
Clark’s numbers live near the top of the league’s rankings and are consistently on par with the marks of the WNBA’s perennial stars. She’s indisputably one of the league’s best and most exciting guards, and looks for her play this month to solidify her spot on the All-Star roster at the end of June.
She’s nothing short of historic – Clark’s performance against the Chicago Sky on Sunday crowned her as one of the best young players the league has ever seen. She’s the fastest rookie in WNBA history to total 200 points, 75 rebounds, and 75 assists. And through just 15 outings, she’s notched five 20-point, five-rebound, and five-assist games. Only Fever great Tamika Catchings had more in her rookie season, totaling six for the entire stretch. Clark is poised to demolish that record as Indiana still has 25 regular season contests left on the year.
Clark’s early career has been a smashing success, and she’s proven herself repeatedly against established players in the WNBA, making her case to be a 2024 WNBA All-Star nearly airtight. Not only is she a top-shelf rookie, but she finds her name on the top of the opponent’s scouting report on a nightly basis. Clark’s ability to achieve the volume of production that she does while receiving swarms of attention on and off the court is astounding.
She’ll look to continue her historic run as a rookie while pursuing a WNBA All-Star roster spot as the Fever progress through their June schedule. Now 5-10 overall and 5-5 in their last 10 contests, Clark leads Indiana’s hot streak as the Fever hope to maintain momentum through a lighter stretch of the schedule.
