“Hey coach, they woke up a monster.” This was Caitlin Clark’s fiery message to Indiana Fever head coach Christie Sides and the locker room after being snubbed from the 2024 Paris Olympics. The rookie sensation, who was already leading all WNBA first-years in both scoring and assists, took the disappointment as fuel. Instead of dwelling on the politics of the selection process, Clark responded with ruthless consistency. She averaged 18.2 points and 9.5 assists over the 15 games that followed, and spearheaded a Fever surge that ended an 8-year playoff drought last season.
But her path was far from flawless. In her early games, Clark piled up turnovers. In fact, she was leading the league with 5.6 turnovers per game. Add a rocky adjustment to the physicality of the pros, and she was left with an unusually high of 17% flagrant fouls. Moreover, the officiating didn’t make it easier either and calls seemed to find her at every turn. Yet, each setback sharpened her game, transforming early errors into a foundation for one of the most impactful rookie seasons in the league’s history.
On the latest episode of the Bird’s Eye View podcast with WNBA legend Sue Bird, Clark peeled back the curtain on her first year, particularly exposing the evolution of her shooting confidence. “There’s definitely times where I’m still in there and it’s like, ‘Ah, I go back and watch film, I’ve worked on that so much. Like, why don’t I just shoot it?’ But it’s not like natural. It’s not natural to you yet,” the 2024 ROTY confessed.
As a guard celebrated for her exceptional deep-range shooting and fearless shot selection, Clark admitted that even her rookie year tested her in ways she hadn’t anticipated. “And I think the only way to like make it natural is like you just got to do it in the game,” she explained. “Like whether you want to or not, like the best way to like for it to come and just be a thing is like you just got to shoot it in the game.”
For someone who left Iowa as the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer with 3,951 career points, the adjustment was jarring. The defenses were longer, faster, and more relentless than anything she’d faced before. Though her 32.9% three-point shooting in first 20 WNBA games reflected that learning curve, but each possession left Clark questioning her offensive instincts. While practice could sharpen playmaking, Clark knew that rhythm and trusting her shots could only be forged during game nights.
Recalling the harsher lessons from her debut season, Clark didn’t shy away from naming her toughest matchups. “Early in my WNBA career, I would like drive right and I would have a step on the big, but I would go for the layup and I would just get blocked and blocked and blocked like A’ja and Ezi or like those really long athletic five players,” she expressed. “You think you have a step on them and you do, but they’re just longer and more athletic. Like they’re just going to get there.”
Every time the reigning rookie dashed towards the glass last season, she was swatted away by outstretched arms. While frustrating, these moments against A’ja Wilson and All-Defensive First Team center, Ezi Magbegor sharpened a sense of pushing her own boundaries as a player.
Known for her defensive prowess, Wilson has recently been selected as a Hall of Framer for University of South Carolina. She is the sixth former college athlete to be bestowed with the honor. The news came after her Gamecocks jersey was retired following her exceptional performances as a student and pro athlete. No wonder the reigning MVP and All-Star was the first overall pick by the Las Vegas Aces in 2018.
The Aces center is one of the very few defense athletes whose tactics helped Clark sharpen her offenses. But as the Fever athlete sits out her sophomore season, Indiana Fever locker room has adjusted to her absence. Thanks to head coach, Stephanie White, the roster’s new strategies have not only improved the team’s overall standings, but also empowered them to collectively use their strengths against the opponents this season.
Kelsey Mitchell takes Leadership Roles in Caitlin Clark’s absence
The post Caitlin Clark Admits Discontent Over WNBA Troubles Linked to a Hall of Famer appeared first on EssentiallySports.
