Being a rookie in any professional league can be challenging or even frustrating. For Caitlin Clark, it seems to lean more towards the latter, as there have been instances where her teammates’ performance hasn’t met her expectations. Clark demonstrated her leadership and winning mentality during her college career at Iowa, trying to win at every moment, embodying Vince Lombardi’s famous quote, “Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.”
Recently, a video circulating on social media captured Clark’s frustration with her teammate Kristy Wallace during the Indiana Fever’s narrow 88-87 loss to the Chicago Sky, led by fellow rookie Angel Reese. In the video, Clark is seen calling for the ball, but Wallace takes the shot instead, which goes in. However, Clark’s visible frustration at not receiving the pass highlighted her dissatisfaction and lack of support for her teammate, judge for yourselves.
Clark currently leads the league in turnovers, possibly due to situations like these, which contribute to her frustration. As the season progresses, Clark will need to develop maturity and support her teammates more consistently. Achieving success as a team is crucial, and Clark will need her teammates to advance far in the league which will be huge for the WNBA if they get into the playoffs. While Clark leads her team in minutes, assists, steals, and is tied with Kelsey Mitchell for points per game (16), this doesn’t justify showing such frustration during games with her teammates.
What’s Next for the Indiana Fever?
The Fever (7-11) is set to play against the Seattle Storm (10-6) on Thursday at 9:00 PM EST. Indiana has yet to defeatSeattle in two games this season, but Clark’s team is different now compared to their early-season struggles when they started with a 1-8 record. Since their last game against Seattle in May, the Fever have shown significant improvement, posting a 6-3 record.
This weekend's Fever-Sky game with Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese averaged 2.3 million viewers on ESPN, per @sportsrapport.
That makes it the WNBA's most-watched game in 23 years — the second consecutive week these teams have posted record viewership numbers.
Rivalries are good! pic.twitter.com/7Dw0kqbpm8
— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) June 25, 2024
The upcoming match against Seattle will be crucial for the Fever as they aim to build on their recent progress. The team’s improved performance highlights their potential, and with continued growth and teamwork, they can strive for more victories. Stay tuned for the Fever’s game against the Storm and see if Clark and her teammates can continue their upward trajectory.
