Player of the Day 07/06/24: Caitlin Clark

Caitlin Clark became the first rookie in WNBA history to record a triple-double. The Indiana Fever beat the New York Liberty 83-76, led by 19 points, 12 rebounds, and 13 assists from Clark. She led a 4th quarter comeback where the Fever put up 28 points, topping off the legendary game. Clark struggled from behind the 3-point line, going 3/12 but made up for it with her playmaking which has been the most impressive part of her game so far. This is already the second time in her young career that she notched 13 assists. The rookie is in second place on the assist-per-game leaderboard, only trailing Connecticut Sun star, Alyssa Thomas.

It’s important to remember that she did this against one of the 3 best teams in the league. In their previous matchup, the Fever never stood a chance and lost 69-104. Caitlin Clark was held to 3 points, 2 rebounds, and 5 assists. Betnijah Laney-Hamilton was draped all of her and the entire team struggled to generate any offense, but the Fever have come a long way since then. That was on June 2nd and the Liberty saw a much improved Fever and Clark this time around. They are now 9-13 and have improved to 3rd in the Eastern Conference. Teammate and all-star Aliyah Boston has adapted to life with Clark seamlessly and is averaging 13.5 points and 8.4 rebounds per game.

Caitlin Clark is now averaging 16.1 points, 6 rebounds, and 7.4 assists per game. She has certainly lived up to the hype so far. We are at the mid-way point of the season and she has proven to already be one of the best guards in the league. Over week 7 in the WNBA she nearly averaged a triple-double, 15.5 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 10.8 assists. She also became the fastest player to record 350 or more points and 150 or more assists. The turnovers and efficiency need to improve but it’s hypercritical to dwell on that because she is just a Rookie. Clark and the Fever will be back in action on July 10th against the Mystics. The rookie race between Clark and Reese is heating up and it’s going to be exciting to see how the two finish the season.