by Collin Loring
After back-to-back losses to the New York Liberty, Caitlin Clark is winless through the first three games of her WNBA career with the Indiana Fever.
Her adjustment period after going first overall in the 2024 draft has been tough to start. But she’s not without fans in her group of peers.
A number of Liberty stars, two former MVPs most notably, advocated for Clark’s development after the Fever’s latest loss.
Reigning MVP Breanna Stewart was asked to give an evaluation after seeing the 22-year-old up close in back-to-back games.
“Obviously she’s a knockdown shooter,” Stewart told reporters postgame on May 18. “She has that range. Obviously when you come into this league and you’re a number one pick, everyone’s going to know where you are on the court at all times. She’s looking to make the pocket pass. That’s going to be the growth of this team this season. Them figuring out what the right spots are, depending on what defenses are going to do. I think us up here, it’s respect. She’s a great player.”
Jonquel Jones, the 2021 MVP, offered her support on Clark too, saying the media has been too hasty to judge the young star.
“I think the media needs to give her a little bit of grace and time to develop into a player,” Jones told reporters. “She’s learning every game as she’s out there. Obviously, her impact on this league is going to be tremendous and only grow as she matures. Just give her some time. Look at Kelsey Plum and how it was for her when she first came into the league and the player that she is now. Just give her some grace.”
Clark had the best game of her young WNBA career against the Liberty. She finished with 22 points, 8 assists, and 6 rebounds.
Add a pair of ringing endorsements from two of the league’s best to the unofficial stat sheet.
Clark Bounces Back Against Liberty
No ability inspires confidence for young stars than their ability to adjust. Clark did just that in a second-straight matchup with the Liberty.
Clark finished the first loss to New York on May 16 with just 9 points on 2-of-8 shooting and 3 turnovers. It was a blowout loss for Indiana.
She responded in the next, more than doubling her point total. And the ripple effect of her efforts reached the scoreboard.
After losing by 36 in the first game, the Fever lost by only 11 in the second.
That speaks to the heliocentric nature of Clark’s positioning in the offense, how they go when she goes. But it also should be a credit to her determination to figure out a defense.
Clark: ‘I Just Came Out and Played Harder’
Clark’s self-evaluation after two very different performances was a simple one. In a second game against New York, she thinks she played harder, and the rest of her game followed suit.
“I thought I just came out and played harder,” Clark told reporters postgame. “I think that’s going to be my biggest focus going forward. Just come out and compete, play hard. I thought our whole group did that. We got down 20, we never gave up. We always chipped away, made some runs. Just paying with an aggressive mindset.”
From a team standpoint, Clark credited the Fever’s pace for their ability to stay competitive the entire game.
“I think our pace, the way we move the ball up the floor, that’s just hard to guard,” Clark continued. “I thought it wore them out a little bit. But also caused a few matchup problems. We were able to get into a little bit of a flow in the beginning. I think just coming out, and playing fast, and playing hard, that’s gonna be my biggest focus.”
To her point, Indiana scored 16 second-chance points in their latest loss. Compared to the five that they scored in the previous game, that’s a clear-cut result of extra effort.
Whatever worked for Clark and the Fever against the Liberty will need to remain a focus moving forward. The loss to New York was the most competitive of their first three games.
As Clark continues to integrate into WNBA play, competitiveness will need to be a necessity, not a luxury afforded.
Originally posted on heavy.com