Reality is coming.
In the words of Diana Taurasi, with Scott Van Pelt on SportsCenter, Caitlin Clark must settle the score when she reaches the WNBA. After four years of dominating the college game, Clark is beginning the next chapter of her career from the bottom as one of the youngest players in the most talented league in the world. Regardless of what the overall arc of Clark’s career ends up being, it’s unlikely she’ll start functioning as the best player on the court every night like she did at Iowa.
Diana Taurasi on Caitlin Clark’s arrival to the WNBA “Reality is coming… you look superhuman playing against 18-year-olds, but you’re coming to play with grown women who have played professional basketball for a long time” pic.twitter.com/fxBxGoRZCS
— Gifdsports (@gifdsports) April 6, 2024
Enthusiasm won’t be a problem for Clark; she is used to feeling pressure and facing the moment. She was a top-five recruit coming out of high school and finished as the leading scorer in college basketball history. She proclaimed her goal as a freshman to lead Iowa back to the Final Four for the first time since 1993, and she accomplished it — twice. As the public’s eyes were focused on her during each successive game of the Hawkeyes’ 2024 NCAA Tournament, Clark continued to win, breaking viewership records in the process.
She has been the center of attention before. The only difference now, as Clark is set to be the Indiana Fever’s No. 1 pick, is that the players she faces will be able to do something about it.
“It’s a different game, there’s an adjustment period, there’s a grace period you have to give rookies when they come into the league,” Taurasi said at USA Basketball training camp in Cleveland. “We’ve had some of the greats who have ever played basketball, and it takes two or three years to get used to a different game (against) the best players in the world.”
The most significant change Clark will encounter in the WNBA is the physicality and strength of her opponent. We saw Clark struggle with West Virginia’s aggressive ball pressure in the NCAA Tournament, leading her to post her worst assist-to-turnover ratio (3-to-6) of the season. UConn’s Nika Mühl put her in a straitjacket during the Final Four, targeting Clark all over the court and limiting her to her lowest scoring total (21 points) from 2023-24. And South Carolina’s trees made it difficult for Clark to finish inside, as she missed 10 3-pointers.
Nika Muhl follows Caitlin Clark wherever she goes pic.twitter.com/aur7s8INm7
– Álex 👋 (@Dubs408) April 6, 2024
That’s the kind of defense Clark can expect to find every night in the WNBA, starting with Gamecocks alums Tiffany Mitchell and Tyasha Harris in Indiana’s opener against Connecticut. Additionally, while Clark had to hide in the Hawkeyes’ defense, putting off the toughest matchups for Gabbie Marshall, there are too many offensive threats on every professional team. She will have opposing players who will try to take her off the dribble and get into her body on that side as well.
“As far as the challenge, I think the physical aspect of facing grown women is going to be difficult,” Andraya Carter said on the WNBA pre-draft Zoom call. “The blows are going to be a little harder. The controls are going to be tougher. The defense is going to be more physical and the players will be faster.”
The jump to the pro ranks is often more challenging for top prospects. Of the nine rookies who ranked in the top 10 in WARP (wins above replacement player) since 2010, only Maya Moore was a perimeter player. according to ESPN.com. And Clark’s game doesn’t exactly resemble that of his childhood idol.
Former No. 1 picks Kelsey Plum and Sabrina Ionescu experienced severe growing pains in their rise to All-Star status. Plum didn’t average double-digit scoring until her fourth season, a somewhat shocking turn of events for the then-leading scorer in Division I women’s college history. Similarly, Ionescu didn’t make more than 35 percent of her 3-pointers. through his fourth season despite converting 42.2 percent of those shots in college.
However, Clark has some advantages going for him relative to that pair. At 6 feet, he’s bigger than Plum, which will give him cleaner shooting angles right away. Opponents may not be able to put their best defender on Clark right away with All-Star Kelsey Mitchell also in the Fever backcourt, and Clark has deeper reach than Plum at this stage, allowing him to stretch the defense.
Ionescu was bothered by a badly sprained ankle during his first two seasons, so health could be the biggest differentiator for Clark early in his career. But Ionescu’s struggles playing as a primary ballhandler are instructive: Despite being the all-time collegiate leader in triple-doubles, she only flourished at the professional level alongside another point guard. Clark will play at one; As such, her passing should shine through immediately. Fortunately, that might be the most professional skill in her toolbox.
“There will be challenges, but at the same time the talent around her will also be better,” Rebecca Lobo said on the pre-draft call. “I’m excited to see what that looks like, particularly on the offensive end of the floor.”
Perhaps a more useful comparison for Clark is Rhyne Howard, the No. 1 pick in 2022. Howard was a high-volume 3-point shooter at Kentucky and found success as a scorer as a rookie because she continued to shoot from deep, winning the All-Star Game. Honors in her first season. Howard didn’t create too many shooting opportunities for others (she’s more of a wing than Clark) but she used her size to take on smaller defenders, something her No. 1 teammate can replicate.
Clark’s deep repertoire of skills, whether it’s shooting shots, creating for others or generating good looks for herself, makes it possible for her to rely on one of them to make her mark immediately. She is better positioned to succeed than those who preceded her in recent years because her resume is one of a kind.
Even if reality hits immediately, Clark has a long way to go to figure out how to dominate at the next level. A franchise is setting her up for success and will prioritize her development and optimize her basketball situation. Sooner or later, everyone agrees that Clark’s game will translate, even Taurasi.
“When you’re great at what you do,” Taurasi said, “you’ll just get better.”
(Photo: Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
