No, this wasn’t Caitlin Clark’s dreamy introduction to the professional ranks. Of course, this isn’t the hungover basketball hijinks that some of her legion are hoping for at some point this weekend.
But rooks can’t jump over things.
Her first two games could be disappointing, especially Thursday’s epic home opener against the Indiana Fever. This moment was enough to bring history to the venue. Sports’ newest luminaries made a splash at Gambridge Arena, rivaling the series between the New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers.
Then the New York Liberty shut down the party and Breanna Stewart shattered any illusions that a rookie could be the WNBA’s best player.
But Clark will be fine. Just right. This is just the first of many difficult parts. A great game is coming. There are more bad ones. But it’s necessary. If the mountain is flat, you can’t climb it.
Sabrina Ionescu talks Caitlin Clark’s adjustment to WNBA, hosting her visit to Oregon State as she decides where to attend college
“I just know she’s going to keep working hard and persevering. Good things happen to good people.” pic.twitter.com/thI8tDfs4C
— New York Liberty Video (@SNYLiberty) May 17, 2024
The only question is whether the fans she brings to women’s basketball will allow her to do so. Clark has talked about giving yourself grace. If this isn’t a coded message to her masses, that’s how it should be received. She may not be intimidated by unrealistic expectations placed on her shoulders. But this will make the climb more difficult. But that’s exactly what she wanted.
All basketball players, real basketball players, have this trait. Those who train on inner-city tarmac, in gleaming suburban stadiums, in Australian specialist academies, on dirt pitches under country skies. What they all have in common is this universal truth: they embrace difficulty. They are motivated by difficulty. As long as success is possible within the confines of their delusional self-confidence, basketball players become a game of smoke and mirrors. A real basketball player. They want to conquer a mountain. This is how they validate their great beliefs.
That’s why Clark will be fine. We already know she’s a real pitcher. She reveals this nature early on.
She’s probably somewhere creepy right now. Capitalize on your fame and grow your brand ahead of a farewell tour in Iowa. She could have returned to her comfort zone in college thanks to the NCAA’s extra year of eligibility stipends in response to the pandemic. However, she still chose this. Chased by the more athletic DiJonai Carrington. Overpowered by the bigger Betnija Laney Hamilton. Facing traps, double teams and hard fouls. Leaving her to balance herself under the weight of a massive fan base and a fickle reputation.
Go get her lump. Risk disappointment.
It may take her some time to find her stride, especially since she wants to win, not dazzle. But she didn’t become the Clark who captured the country.
First, Fever’s schedule was brutal from the get-go. Their next two games are Saturday against New York and Monday against Connecticut, two teams Indiana has lost by a combined 57 points. Next up are three road games in Seattle, Los Angeles and defending champion Las Vegas. That’s a far cry from the early-season warmups of Fairleigh Dickinson, Northern Iowa and Purdue Fort Wayne.
Plus, Clark has drawn the attention of better defenders.
Her debut was with Carrington, a 5-foot-11 hound who specialized in harassing ball carriers in the league (and Carrington was good enough at that, She won’t mess up her perfect makeup in the process). Clark’s home debut was a date with Lenny Hamilton, a vet through and through. She played for eight teams in six years, four overseas, before breaking out in 2021 with the Liberty. Already has ten years of hard-nosed basketball experience. Another real shot-stopper determined to make Clark feel.
Both pick her up throughout the court or guard Clark in the half court.
DiJonay Carrington is putting the pressure on Kaitlyn Clark 🔒 pic.twitter.com/pGQ7MlXIqb
— ESPN (@espn) May 15, 2024
Clark is still learning the offense, and it’s not centered around her. The Fever uses an inside-out approach, taking isolation plays against Aliyah Boston or any team with a size advantage, hoping to draw the defense into kickoffs. I’m not going to run this offense with Clark as my point guard. But that’s part of it.
Clark’s college record 40.1% usage rate – meaning she used that percentage in Iowa’s game – won’t happen this season. Seattle’s Jewell Loyd led the league with a 31.5 usage rate last season. Clark’s usage rate in two games: 28.7.
Not only is the defense focused on her, the Fever’s offense prioritizes post-ups and the ball isn’t in her hands as much as it was in college, but Clark also has teammates who can do some things. They still have room to work when Clark gets noticed. As a result, the likes of Erica Wheeler, Narissa Smith and Kelsey Mitchell are career scorers looking to exploit the space. So the ball doesn’t get back to Clark very often.
Another expected outcome is that Clark gets attacked on defense. Stewart forced a body change so Clark lay on his back, a window into the rookie’s life. She has to get better at moving her feet instead of reaching, learn her opponent’s tendencies through film study to gain some advantage, and — perhaps most importantly — get her strength and conditioning to new levels so defenses can Doesn’t take away the legs and energy from her winning attack.
If her legacy is to continue in the WNBA, it may take months or even seasons before she becomes a dominant player at this level. No matter how long it takes, how long she takes, how long she should take. As sensational as she is, it’s unfair to think of Clark as some kind of carnival performer splashing stunt shots from city to city. That was underneath her. Of course, those deep bombs send waves of ecstasy into the air as they splash. It’s easy to want to experience this feeling again and again.
But this is a true basketball player on a journey toward basketball excellence. It’s a career that, if it goes well, could land her among the all-time greats. It’s worth it to have a proverbial seat and enjoy the whole process. Because if she gets there, it will be because of the struggles along the way.
With her basketball IQ, Clark probably knew this was coming. This is a real glove. Just like it should be. Part of her legion was intoxicated by Clark’s mesmerizing style of play and expected pros to continue her hawk-eyed brilliance, as if the WNBA were some kind of lateral move. It’s as if her meager salary represents the league’s players, not the league’s business.
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But anyone who watched the WNBA could have predicted Clark’s early struggles. WNBA OG is trying to sound a warning, though some are mixing it up with a bit of hate. But they know.
To be sure, she’s never been trapped behind a screen by someone as tough as UConn’s Alyssa Thomas, nor been hounded by a scorer like Stewart on defense. Even if Clark had already lived this life, it would take adjustment.
Sabrina Ionescu, one of the league’s brightest stars, shot 4-for-17 in her 2020 debut. She’s not on Clark’s level, but she’s a superstar at Oregon State. Her first game with Liberty was huge. She was miserably beaten by Seattle, missing all eight three-pointers and committing four turnovers, and ultimately lost the game.
Ionescu scored 33 points in the next game. But in her third game, a grade three ankle sprain ended her season. She still managed to make the All-Star team and is one of the best guards in the game. Real basketball players bounce back, though. Ionescu did it. Clark will.
Her shooting accuracy will be higher than 30.4%. She missed a lot of open shots and defended a lot of others. She just needs to find her own rhythm. Her excellent passing ability means she can impact the game in a variety of ways. Her 6-foot-tall frame, high IQ, and love for crafts allowed her to continue working. She’ll figure it out. Can you wait long enough until she does? Can you enjoy this part as much as the rest of the show?
It just takes time. It’s learned hard lessons from bad games and crushing defeats. This requires film study. Failure needs to be accompanied by a hatred of failure. This part is needed.
And the grace that allowed her to go through it all.
(Photo: Dylan Bull/Getty Images)
