UNCASVILLE, Conn. — As the seconds ticked by before her first WNBA game began, Caitlin Clark couldn't stop moving. Waiting for the first jump, she walked along the free throw line. She pulled up her shorts and fixed her ponytail. She waved her arms in an attempt to keep herself loose.
The referee then tossed the orange and white WNBA basketball, but officials deemed it necessary to toss it a second time. Unlike the referee's pitch, Clark may not want to completely redo his debut. Still, there were definitely moments he'll want to recapture after a mixed individual performance and, ultimately, a disappointing loss.
She led the Indiana Fever with 20 points, but also had 10 turnovers, the most in a player's first WNBA game.
“I didn't have the best start, so I think there's a lot to learn,” Clark said. “There will be good ones. There will be bad ones.”
Caitlin Clark scored her first professional points with 5:24 left in the first half, scoring a layup. @ElAthleticWBB pic.twitter.com/BqamXt3GBj
-Ben Pickman (@benpickman) May 15, 2024
She rewrote the record book during four years at Iowa, often making the toughest matchups and shots look like a piece of cake. Tuesday's embarrassing record was not expected. It's been just over a month since she concluded Clark's college career, but life in the WNBA is already here. If a reminder were needed, she showed in the Fever's 92-71 loss to the Connecticut Sun that she will, at times, have growing pains as she transitions to the professional ranks.
“She's a rookie in this league,” Fever coach Christie Sides said. “This is the best league in the world. We have to teach her what these games will be like for her every night and we have to take some of that pressure off of her. “That's on me, on my staff, to have to figure it out.”
All eyes are on Clark as he attempts to jump into the pro ranks with high expectations to not only perform like he did in college, but also to revitalize the league like no player has before. Tuesday's season opener came before the Sun's first sold-out home opener since 2003, and he will make his home debut in front of another raucous crowd on Thursday. In Connecticut, hundreds, perhaps thousands, of fans wore No. 22 jerseys with the Iowa and Fever logos to celebrate Clark. (At one point, a “car fanatic” graphic appeared on Sun's video board while showing many of them on the screen.) Fans wearing “Clark Fever” T-shirts began milling around the Mohegan Sun casino floor hours before the night began. The television rating for the game will surely be much higher than the first games of last season.
It's a scene Clark witnessed almost every game during his final season at Iowa.
“I played to sold-out crowds literally every game, so these environments don't scare me or shock me at all,” he said Tuesday morning. “I'm sure there will be a lot of basketball fans here who will really appreciate the game.”
Fans will show up in Connecticut tonight 🙌 pic.twitter.com/7CECWVIFSJ
— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) May 14, 2024
Yet even with that familiarity, on the morning of the most anticipated rookie debut in WNBA history, she attempted to temper expectations.
“I know the outside world thinks I'm going to do amazing things, but that might take some time,” Clark said. “And if things aren't perfect right away or a game isn't as amazing as I want it to be, give yourself grace, keep learning, and keep improving.”
Almost immediately, Clark was welcomed into the WNBA by one of the best players in the world. Less than two minutes later, Sun star forward Alyssa Thomas attacked Clark in transition, forcing the 6-foot guard to commit a foul. After committing two fouls, Clark finished the first quarter scoreless. She admitted that getting her flow back was difficult after sitting for a while early.
Clark had said it “would be nice” if the first basketball of his career was a layup, but he couldn't have imagined waiting until the 5:24 mark of the second quarter to score. As he walked to the locker room at halftime, trailing by 10 points, reigning Rookie of the Year Aliyah Boston caught Clark's eye.
“(Boston) said just stay calm, be aggressive and be yourself,” Clark said.
Clark made some unusual mistakes, picking up the ball and moving it, dribbling with his foot and throwing an errant inbounds pass. He also has room to improve defensively. Facing an experienced opponent, Connecticut's physicality made the difference. Sides said Indiana took a “hit in the mouth.”
Clark finally settled in, taking advantage of the changes. He hit a 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter over Sun center Olivia Nelson-Ododa on a shot reminiscent of her time with the Hawkeyes. Still, the Fever played in catch-up mode all night, trailing for the final 34 minutes of the game. A stretch of the fourth quarter in which Thomas defended Clark provided another indication that Clark's level of competition had increased.
GO DEEPER
What we learned in Caitlin Clark's WNBA debut
There's plenty of tape for Clark to devour now, and not much time to do it. Sides emphasized that Indiana's spacing was poor and that he needs to find ways to make Boston look easier (he only attempted six shots and scored just 4 points). Clark's teammates have to do a better job of recovering the ball on his passes. It will also be imperative to reduce turnovers (the Fever had 25).
Opportunities to show immediate growth will come early and often. Indiana opens the season with seven games in 12 days. The New York Liberty awaits Thursday night, another tough challenge in a series of them.
Some performances will inevitably pale in comparison to others. Surely a Clark masterclass will come sooner rather than later. But on Tuesday he emphasized what his new competition is like. How he responds will be his biggest challenge.
“Disappointed and nobody likes to lose, that's just the way it is,” Clark said. “You can't beat yourself up too much for one game.”
(Photo: Elsa/Getty Images)
