Next stop for Caitlin Clark is WNBA. What kind of player will she be for Indiana Fever?
Caitlin Clark has been called the greatest of all time (by Iowa fans), overrated (by most other Big Ten fans), “an alien,” (by Diana Taurasi), a generational talent (by Dawn Staley and Kim Mulkey) and just about every other superlative you can imagine.
But what do any of those descriptors mean when it comes to how her game will translate to the WNBA?
Clark, who scored 30 points in her final college game, an 87-75 loss to South Carolina in the national championship, is expected to be taken No. 1 by the Indiana Fever next Monday at the 2024 WNBA draft in Brooklyn.
“Can she still change her mind? Is that possible?” Iowa coach Lisa Bluder quipped Saturday, as the Hawkeyes prepared to take on the top-seeded Gamecocks. “I would like that very much.”
Bluder was joking about Clark’s intentions after the 2023-24 Iowa season. In February, Clark declared for the draft, forgoing her COVID year.
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So despite Bluder’s dreams, this is what we know: Clark’s going pro and she’s going to the Fever. In Indianapolis, Clark will team up with 2023 Rookie of the Year Aaliyah Boston.
But what can basketball fans reasonably expect from Clark in her first professional season?
First, the positives: Clark has been the best distributor in college basketball the last few years, a true pass-first point guard gifted with tremendous court vision (don’t be fooled by how much Clark scored in college — she is always looking to get her teammates the ball). She’s especially lethal as a passer in the open floor, and will be at her best surrounded by athletes who get up the court like Boston, guard Kelsey Mitchell and forward NaLyssa Smith.
And then, of course, there’s the scoring. Clark is a logo-launching legend, and her range will translate immediately to the league.
Asked how she might change the pro game, NBA All-Star Stephen Curry’s answer was simple.
“I’m trying to think of someone she’s like — maybe like a Diana Taurasi but with even more playmaking ability,” Curry said. “She can change the geometry of the game a little bit, with her ability to space the floor. And with how she can shoot, she’ll be able to do it right away.”
