Indiana Fever star rookie Caitlin Clark has received praise and shoutouts from NBA legends throughout the season, including one from Hall of Fame point guard Isiah Thomas. The Detroit Pistons legend doubled down on his appreciation for Clark’s excellence, replying “Straight 100” to a fan’s question of what he thinks of Clark’s game from one point guard to another.
The WNBA’s extended All-Star break in light of the 2024 Olympic Paris Games, to which Clark was not invited to join Team USA’s run to gold, but could end up paying off in the form of the star rookie’s second-half dominance. As the great Hall of Fame forward Kevin Garnett astutely pointed out, not every WNBA player is granted one month off in the middle of their rookie season, and anything’s possible.
What if [Caitlin Clark’s] Olympic break was the off season adjustment for the league that [WNBA] rookies don’t get before their 1st… shyt looked crazy out there yesterday,” Garnett wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “Can tell she was in the film room.”
Averaging 26 points on a combined 17-for-35 attempts, 7-of-21 from deep, and 9.5 assists in her first two games since the break, Clark looks rejuvenated. Perhaps, there’s even a chip on her shoulder for the Olympic snub, or the electricity of becoming the WNBA’s single-season assist leader in mid-August on your first try is a major factor.
Either way, it’s unlike anything the WNBA has seen before Caitlin arrived, and the Fever are winning. After her double-double (29 points, 10 assists) led Indiana in its 98-89 win against the Phoenix Mercury, Clark guided the Fever to its second win in two days. Beating the Seattle Storm 92-75, Clark led the Fever with 23 points, nine assists, two blocks, and one steal.
She spoke about her newfound focus of late after the Fever’s victory over the Mercury.
“I’ve always been able to see something happen before it happens,” Clark said, per the Associated Press. “I think [Kelsey Mitchell] can tell [now] when I want her to go back door when I want her to cut off the ball or anything like that. It’s that chemistry you get when you’re used to playing with one another. It’s taken time but I think we’re really starting to get it down.”
Indiana is back in action against the Minnesota Lynx on Saturday.
It took a few games for their chemistry to gain momentum, but Clark and Boston have become one of the league’s most dynamic duos, and their recent play is proof of that. With the three-headed monster of Clark, Boston and Kelsey Mitchell, the Fever could make a run to the postseason and beyond.
