Caitlin Clark faced high expectations even before she entered the WNBA Draft, as she was coming on the backs of being the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer tasked with helping the Indiana Fever regain their strength. And she truly rose to the occasion. Although her season began a bit shaky, something Clark herself mentioned during the playoffs. She had one of the best rookie seasons in league history, leading Indiana Fever back to the playoffs and earning the 2024 Rookie of the Year award from The Athletic's Shams Charania.
Clark's stats
Clark averaged 19.2 points, 8.4 assists, and 5.7 rebounds per game in the regular season. She ranked seventh in scoring, shooting 41.7% overall, 24.4% from three-point range, and 90.6% from the free-throw line. She led the league in assists, earning the peak performer award, while also contributing 1.3 steals and nearly a block per game. As the season went on, she emerged as a strong MVP candidate, finishing fourth in the MVP voting won by A’ja Wilson. She is expected to be named to the All-WNBA first team. Unfortunately, the Fever was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Connecticut Sun.
“Caitlin is special. Everybody knows that. She’s been special. She came into the best league in the world, the best women’s basketball league in the world. She found her footing. She’s continued to get better. She’s put herself in a position to be called one of the best players in this league. That’s incredible for a rookie," Indiana head coach Christie Sides said.
During her rookie year, Clark broke several records. She set a new single-season rookie assists record, surpassing the one set by Ticha Penicheiro in 1998, and also broke the overall single-season assists record held by Alyssa Thomas from the previous year. In her last regular-season home game, she scored a career-high 35 points, breaking Seimone Augustus’s rookie scoring record. Her 12 point-assist double-doubles beat the previous record of 11 held by veteran Courtney Vandersloot in 2017, tying her for ninth on the career list. In two of those games, she achieved triple-doubles.
Indiana started the season with a tough 2-9 record, facing some of the best teams in a packed schedule. The demands of her entire collegiate season and NCAA tournament run also took a toll on her as she adjusted to the pro game.
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