Caitlin Clark showed off some good and bad in her WNBA debut with the Indiana Fever Tuesday night.
In the 92-71 loss to the Connecticut Sun, Clark led Indiana with 20 points and three assists. However, she produced 10 turnovers, which was the most ever for a WNBA debut.
It’ll be something Clark can adjust to, but ESPN’s Andraya Carter pointed out some of her college tactics won’t work at this level.
“I saw Caitlin Clark in her first WNBA game facing the best defense in the league, the Connecticut Sun are known for their defense,” Carter said on Get Up. “That’s what they do. They’re physical, they’re fast. DJ Carrington is an elite defender who I think is coming into this season with something to prove. She proved it and started to prove it in yesterday’s game.
“But listen, the thing about the Connecticut Sun, two seasons ago they were in the finals. Last season, they were in the semis. This is an experienced team. Caitlin’s team isn’t an experienced team. Caitlin’s not an experienced player and it showed in the turnovers. There were some passes that Caitlin made that she could get away with at the college level that she has to learn are not going to work at this level.”
Fellow ESPN analyst Chiney Ogwumike harped on the adjustment period for Clark.
“Let’s remind everybody it’s like a month since she was playing for Iowa to now playing pros,” Ogwumike said. “She has the ball in her hands. And she’s going to make mistakes because she’s an unselfish player. So this is not surprising considering she’s going up against the Connecticut Sun.
“At Iowa you needed her to do everything. In the pros. you’re playing with Aliyah Boston who I believe led the WNBA in field goal percentage … and so yeah this is game one. they’re gonna look at the tape, they’re gonna get better. But I think Caitlin, she still showed signs of great vision. Now she has to understand that the IQ goes up, especially knowing that these defenders can read her mind.”
Clark, of course, has all eyes on her after becoming one of the most popular players in women’s basketball history.
She gained that popularity in part because of her ability to score at will from anywhere on the floor. She took down the NCAA all-time marks for career scoring, both men’s and women’s, during her final season with the Hawkeyes.
During her four seasons with the Iowa Hawkeyes, Clark averaged 28.4 points per game, which peaked during her senior season with 31.6 ppg. Thanks to her sharpshooting, she became the collegiate men’s and women’s all-time leading scorer in her 130th career game.
The Indiana Fever return to action for their home debut against the New York Liberty Thursday at 7:00 p.m. ET.
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