In the end, Caitlin Clark had to be a lot more than just No. 1 pick in the WNBA for the Indiana Fever last year. She also had to pump a new level of excitement and interest in the league, to bring it attention it had never before gotten. There was also the unforeseen backlash against Clark, from pundits and fans, even from former and current players.
Handling all that was a tall task but following her storied career at Iowa, she was up for the job. Not only that, but Clark set a few records along the way, not only winning the league’s Rookie of the Year award, but setting a new mark for assists in the WNBA (8.4 per game) and an all-time high for scoring by a point guard and by a rookie (19.2 points per game).
She set records for triple doubles, for double-doubles, for 3-pointers, and, heck, even for turnovers. It is hard, at times, to remember that she is just 22 and has not even yet entered her prime.
But there is no question that Clark can improve in a number of areas. She can get more efficient with her shooting, as she made 41.7% of her shots and 34.4% of her 3-pointers. That’s slightly above the league average on 3s (33.8%) but below league average from the field (43.8%).
Considering she shot 46.2% from the field in college, and 37.7% from the 3-point line, the room to grow there is obvious.
Caitlin Clark: ‘Just Scratching the Surface’
Clark knows it, and in what feels like a warning for the 2025 season, the Fever posted a video of her already working out in the gym here in October, with the season more than half a year away.
In the video, Clark says: “I feel like I’m just scratching the surface. I feel like there’s so many areas that I want to improve in, and to continue to get into the gym and work on that every single day.”
Team success will be the touchstone by which Caitlin Clark is next measured, and it’s important to remember that the Fever were a scattered and disorganized lot to start the season. They were 2-9 in their first 11 games, but went 18-11 from there.
In that stretch, Clark was a much more effective shooter, making 43.7% of her shots and 36% of her 3s. That’s something she can carry into 2025. Her turnover numbers, too, (5.6 per game) need work, but that should improve as she adjusts to the physicality of the WNBA.
It’s a scary notion for the rest of the league. Even with all that was thrown at her in Year 1, Clark will only get better.
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