SUMMARY
- Caitlin Clark has had a rough start to her debut season with the Indiana Fever.
- The Fever remain winless after going 0-3 against the Connecticut Sun and New York Liberty.
Caitlin Clark was certainly the most dominant star in the women’s basketball space during the most recent NCAA campaign. From being one of the best three-point shooters to becoming the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer, the former Iowa Hawkeyes guard has now found herself facing a lot of media scrutiny. The 22-year-old is already three games into her professional career and things aren’t looking too good on her end.
In three appearances, Clark is currently averaging 17 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game. And out of five games played in the WNBA (preseason games included) Clark has only one win with the Indiana Fever. They’ve yet to win a regular-season game after experiencing two back-to-back losses against the New York Liberty. Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu put on a masterclass for Clark in both those games as well.
After getting trashed by the Liberty, Caitlin Clark receives some like from Jonquel Jones
The Liberty certainly made Caitlin Clark look like she’s new to the sport. Clark’s first game against the Liberty had her tally 9 points, 7 rebounds, and 9 assists. However, her second game wasn’t too bad as she finished with 22 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists, and a steal. Stewart believes Clark has potential and nobody should count her out of the race just yet.
She said, “Obviously when you come into this league and you’re the No.1 pick, everyone’s going to know where you are on the court at all times. She’s looking to make the pocket pass and continuing to. That’s going to be the growth of this team over the season. Them figuring out what the right spots are, depending on what defenses are going to do.” Stewart played extremely physical against Clark in various plays, finishing with 31 and 22 points during those games.
Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones talk about Caitlin Clark’s transition to the WNBA.
Jones: “I think the media needs to give her a little bit of grace and time to develop into a player. She’s learning every game as she’s out there.” pic.twitter.com/pAkD8JRzuN
— New York Liberty Videos (@SNYLiberty) May 18, 2024
Jonquel Jones showed Clark some support amidst her rough start. Jones said, “I think the media needs to give her a little bit of grace and time to develop into a player. She’s learning every game as she’s out there. Obviously, her impact on this league is going to be tremendous and only grow as she matures. But just give her some time, man.” She used Kelsey Plum as an example to explain that Clark needs some time to grow and find her footing in the WNBA.
Angel Reese still poses a threat to Caitlin Clark’s legacy
Over the last two years, Caitlin Clark had a rivalry with 2023 NCAA Champion, Angel Reese. The Hawkeyes met the LSU Tigers in the NCAA Finals last year but lost their chance to hold the trophy. Reese and the Tigers were eliminated ahead of the NCAA Finals by Clark this year. However, the Hawkeyes failed to go the distance, leaving Clark without an NCAA title on her college resume.
Here’s our fan-voted ‘top Rookies of Week 1’, Ranked:
1. Angel Reese (Chicago): 2,638 votes
11.5 PTS | 8.5 RBS | 1.5 AST | 1.0 STL in 25.5 MIN2. Cameron Brink (Los Angeles): 959 votes
7.0 PTS | 5.0 RBS | 2.0 AST | 3.5 BLK in 22.5 MIN3. Caitlin Clark (Indiana): 953 votes
17.0… pic.twitter.com/vZBDxyY4Jq— I talk hoops 🏀 (@trendyhoopstars) May 20, 2024
After experiencing an underwhelming start, Clark was voted as the third-best rookie in week one of the 2024 WNBA Season. Once again, Reese found herself ahead of the flock by a huge margin. She got a total of 2,638 votes while the LA Sparks’ Cameron Brink accumulated 959 votes. Clark trailed behind Brink by six votes. The Spark and Fever rank bottom last in the entire league’s standing while the Chicago Sky, led by Reese ranks sixth in the WNBA.