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WNBA players have tried to push back on the Veterans vs. Rookies narrative around the 2024 season, but there’s no denying that Caitlin Clark vs. Diana Taurasi is going to be a draw.
Clark’s Indiana Fever will face Taurasi’s Phoenix Mercury for the first time this season on Sunday afternoon, June 30, in a 3 p.m. ET game on ESPN.
Speaking to the media on Saturday, Clark reflected on the chance to face a player she grew up idolizing. Taurasi’s longevity has left Clark amazed.
“It’s incredible. I don’t think people realize how hard that is to do,” Clark said of Taurasi’s 20-year career. “And obviously she’s done everything that she’s needed to do to continue to play at such a high level, like take care of her body.”
Clark was born just two months before Taurasi and Sue Bird led UConn to the 2002 National Championship. Taurasi entered the WNBA a few months after Clark’s second birthday.
“It’s incredible to think she’s been in this league for 20 years,” Clark continued. “That’s just super cool. It’s a feat that not a lot of people will ever accomplish in their careers but for her to do that and continue to do it at a high level, I don’t know if there’s going to be many people able to do it like her.”
Beyond that, Clark is a competitor. As a rookie who has shined and struggled in her first half-season as a pro, she now has a chance to go up against one of the best players in the history of the league.
“That’s somebody I grew up idolizing and looking up to and wanting to be like one day,” Clark said. “Obviously she’s one of the greatest players our game has ever seen, greatest scorer our game has ever seen. So for me, I’m excited. That’s fun. It’s kind of like a dream come true. You get to live out your dream while playing against the best.”
Taurasi seems excited for the challenge as well, even if her take on Clark wasn’t as detailed.
“It’ll be fun,” she told reporters on Wednesday.
Reality Is Coming for Either Caitlin Clark or Diana Taurasi
Taurasi drew the ire of Clark’s massive fanbase during the 2024 Final Four when ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt asked Taurasi about what Clark and the upcoming star-studded rookie class could expect when they got to the WNBA.
“Look, SVP, reality is coming,” she said at the time. “There’s levels to this thing, and that’s just life. We all went through it. You see it on the NBA side, and you’re going to see it on this side where you look superhuman playing against 18-year-olds, but you’re going to come with some grown women that have been playing professional basketball for a long time.
“Not saying that it’s not going to translate, because when you’re great at what you do, you’re just going to get better, but there is going to be a transition period where you’re going to have to give yourself some grace as a rookie. It might take a little bit longer for some people.”
On its face, that’s not a controversial comment. All Taurasi said is that rookies go through their ups and downs when they suddenly must face professionals every game. Taurasi went through it as a rookie, as has just about everyone else who has entered the league.
Clark has been no exception. She’s been on a tear over her last five games, averaging 17.8 points on 51% shooting with 8.4 assists and 7.2 rebounds. Before that, however, she endured an uneven start. That included a 3-point effort against the New York Liberty (1-10 FG) on June 2 and a 7-point game against the Atlanta Dream a week later.
The Fever Need a Win
With Clark and Taurasi about to battle, it’s easy to forget that the game has real implications on the season.
After a 1-8 start to the season, Indiana turned it around, highlighted by a four-game winning streak from June 13 to 21. Since then, however, they’ve lost two in a row — most recently a game Thursday night in Seattle.
That leaves Indiana a half-game behind the Chicago Sky for the eighth and final playoff spot. With 21 games remaining, however, the Fever are also only 3 games behind Phoenix for the 6 seed.
At the halfway point in the season, a three-game losing streak wouldn’t be devastating for Indiana by itself. But after their game in Phoenix, Indiana has to go to Las Vegas to play the defending champion Aces before returning home to face a Liberty team that has beaten them three times. Three losses can quickly turn into five, adding urgency to an already anticipated showdown.
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