The highly-touted Caitlin Clark is finding the transition to the WNBA much tougher than expected with the Indiana Fever. The rookie scoring sensation from Iowa is experiencing a rude awakening after her dream senior season in college where she led the Hawkeyes to the national championship game.
Through the Fever’s first three games of the 2024 season, they remain winless as Clark and her new teammates have failed to get on the same page. The frustration appears to be boiling over, with tensions emerging between Clark and her veteran teammates.
Cameras caught a heated exchange between Clark and Fever head coach Christie Sides late in Indiana’s recent loss to the New York Liberty. As Clark vented her frustrations on the bench with a towel covering her mouth, Sides was seen reassuring her star pupil.
“100%. 100%. We will. Give them time. Give them time, okay? Let’s go,” Sides told Clark as the rookie looked displeased with the team’s lack of composure down the stretch.
In the postgame press conference, Sides acknowledged that the Fever’s struggles stem from a lack of mental toughness and discipline when facing adversity.
“Right now, we’re getting flustered too easily when things don’t go our way instead of just buckling down and executing the game plan,” Sides explained. “Basketball is a game of runs and you have to be able to weather the storm.”
While the 22-year-old Clark was sublime in her senior year, racking up numerous awards and accolades, the pro game has been a humbling experience so far. She’s shooting just 34% from the field and turning the ball over 4 times per contest.
Aside from her 22-point outburst against New York, Clark has looked out of sorts, posting just 8 points on 2-of-12 shooting in the season opener versus Chicago.
With all eyes on the team’s prized rookie, every miscue and body language lapse is being scrutinized. Clark’s fiery competitiveness was a big part of her success in the NCAA, but maintaining that competitive edge while bringing teammates along is her next challenge.
The Fever entered 2024 with title expectations after loading up their roster in the offseason. But the championship window won’t stay open forever if the team’s young core doesn’t show more poise and resolve when facing adversity.
For Clark’s sake, she and her teammates better get on the same page quickly before their early season frustrations spiral into a lost year in the ultra-competitive WNBA.
