In the midst of a winless start to her WNBA career – and following her first single-digit scoring effort since her freshman year of college – Caitlin Clark could have been excused for being in a dour mood on Saturday morning.
That was anything but the case.
‘It’s been fun, honestly,’ she said of her choppy transition to the pros, before her Indiana Fever took on the New York Liberty. ‘This is what you signed up for.’
At least on an individual level, that cheery energy carried over to the game as Clark put together the best performance of her pro career to date – despite the Fever’s 91-80 loss and another turnover-heavy individual effort.
The former Iowa star tallied a career-high 22 points, six rebounds and eight assists, including a 10-point first quarter in which she looked every bit the No. 1 overall pick she is.
And while Clark’s introduction to WNBA life has been less than ideal – following a whirlwind six weeks that saw her conclude her college career just last month – she’s taking it all in stride.
‘I’m just trying to remind myself, like this is my job now but I have fun playing this game,’ she said following the loss. ‘And that needs to be my focus through the course of this year.’
Caitlin Clark #22 of the Indiana Fever handles the ball against the New York Liberty on Saturday
Many fans flocked to the Barclays Center specifically to see the former Iowa standout
However, the Liberty were far too strong and never gave up the early lead they built
For Clark and the 0-3 Fever (who were blown out by the Liberty, last year’s runners-up, earlier this week), this was another difficult contest, and a stark reminder of how far they are from contention. Even with two No. 1 overall picks (the other being Aaliyah Boston) on the roster.
The fact that Clark is still living out of a hotel, as she told reporters, shows just how fresh this all is.
‘This is a professional league,’ her teammate Kelsey Mitchell said after the game. ‘I don’t know what people expect or what they’re looking for, but this is gonna take a little time.’
Things started close enough on Saturday, as a Clark three-pointer with 6:07 remaining in the first quarter gave her team a slender 14-13 lead.
But the Fever struggled to keep the pace with their hosts, who totaled 19 fast-break points to their two in a sometimes-frantic first half that saw plenty of turnovers on both sides.
Just as fatal was the Liberty’s red-hot shooting to start the game, as a ridiculous 7-8 mark from three-point range in the first quarter helped the hosts go up 33-22 to end the period.
Before long, a Jonquel Jones trey gave the Liberty a 44-24 lead in the second quarter. And as far as the Fever’s slender chances of winning went, that was basically that, as Indiana never got within single digits in the second half despite Clark’s best efforts.
Mitchell’s 17 points most closely supported Clark but the Fever ultimately had few answers for the likes of Breanna Stewart (who scored game-high 24 points), Jonquel Jones (14 points, 12 rebounds) and Sabrina Ionescu (12 points, five assists).
Nonetheless, this wasn’t completely a lost afternoon in Brooklyn for the former Iowa star, or the fans that packed into the Barclays Center to watch her.
Caitlin Clark all smiles before Fever loss
Caitlin Clark is enjoying her start to WNBA life despite her team’s struggles thus far
Sports power couple Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird were among the fans at the game
South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley – whose team beat Clark in this year’s national championship – was also in attendance
That list of spectators notably included Billie Jean King, South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley, ex-Lakers star Pau Gasol, Jason Sudeikis, Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird. And Clark gave her most mature performance yet in front of those big names.
Being shadowed once again by New York’s Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, Clark shot an efficient 9-17 from the field and moved the ball well to her teammates, though she also coughed up eight turnovers in another high-usage effort.
Her defense, too, is still a work in progress against the physicality of pro players, and an 0-3 start will sting for someone who flirted with national championships the last two years in college.
These growing pains should be expected though. And in front of a crowd full of Clark and Iowa jerseys, there were enough highlight-reel moments – namely her deep three-point range and her precise passing – to impress her supporters and her peers alike.
‘Us up here [on the podium], it’s respect,’ Stewart said after the game of Clark.
‘Yeah, I think the media needs to give her a little bit of grace and time,’ Jones added. ‘She’s learning every game as he’s out there. And obviously, her impact on this league is going to be tremendous.’
For now, three games into her pro career and leading a rebuilding franchise, Clark has plenty of time, and plenty reason to keep smiling before the honeymoon wears off.
