SUMMARY
- Caitlin Clark's debut game with the Indiana Fever resulted in a buzzer-beating loss against the Dallas Wings.
- The 22-year-old finished with 21 points shooting 6-15 from the field and 5-13 from deep.
The entire basketball community had a wish come true after Caitlin Clark made her professional debut in the WNBA. The 22-year-old has been the newest talk of the town in the sports world after making an impeccable final run at the collegiate level. She was drafted No.1 overall by the Indiana Fever to play alongside Aliyah Boston. Clark did not disappoint after appearing for the Fever’s first preseason game.
They played so good tonight. I can’t wait to see how they’ll play once they fully get comfortable with each other, it’s going to be insane. 🙂↔️
— Brianna Quintoria (@BQuintoria) May 4, 2024
She finna be all time points in the WNBA too playing like this already
— Perré Aye (@PerreAye) May 4, 2024
Fans were quite impressed with what she did on the floor, finishing with 21 points shooting 6-15 from the field. One X user said, “They played so good tonight. I can’t wait to see how they’ll play once they fully get comfortable with each other, it’s going to be insane.” Another fan added, “She finna be all time points in the WNBA too playing like this already.” Clark cannot catch a break from being dubbed the WNBA’s greatest player of all time before even making an official debut.
Caitlin Clark recognizes where the Indiana Fever needs help
Despite having an impressive performance and nearly winning her first WNBA game, Caitlin Clark and the Fever took a loss. By the end of the fourth quarter, the game was tied 76-76 before the Dallas Wings’ Arike Ogunbowale sank a 24-foot three-point jumps-shot to close it out. Clark had a few takeaways on where the Fever needs to perform better.
She said, “I think just the little things. I think knowing when to push in transition and knowing when to slow up and run our offense a little better. I think overall our defense was pretty good. I thought we could have gotten better in some areas. I thought we could have passed the ball a little bit better.”
Clark had a few extra words of encouragement for her teammates saying, “Overall, a lot to learn from, this was a good learning experience for us. You know, this doesn’t count. Go back and watch the film. Film doesn’t lie and learn from that.” This also shows that Clark possesses a high game IQ that will help the Fever achieve better outcomes. The No.1 overall will make a great leader, which is exactly what the Fever lacked all these years.
The No.1 overall pick gets heaps of praise from her teammate
Aliyah Boston was the previous No.1 overall pick for the Fever. However, she couldn’t find a rhythm trying to balance things on both ends of the floor for the Fever. Adding Clark to the roster will open up the floor and allow Boston along with other players to focus on their strengths.
Caitlin Clark finished her first @WNBA preseason game with a game-high 21 points (5 3PM), 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals 💪
“Overall, a lot to learn from. These are great learning experiences for us.” pic.twitter.com/AfDVLUdmDx
— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) May 4, 2024
Boston addressed her first game with the NCAA’s All-Time Scoring Leader by saying, “This is what women’s basketball has deserved for quite some time now. It’s better late than never. I’m really excited for what’s to come for this league.” Clark’s debut game had a sold-out arena with 6,251 fans in attendance. Clark is projected to win this year’s Rookie of the Year over Cameron Brink, Angel Reese, and Kamilla Cardoso.