Getty WNBA No. 1 pick Caitlin Clark
The WNBA season is set to tip off and while the debut of Caitlin Clark for the Indiana Fever is the dominant story, her status as a dominant player is less certain. Clark comes in as the most anticipated player in league history, at a moment when the game is on the ascent, but that doesn’t mean she’s starting out among the WNBA’s top players.
In fact, in compiling a list of the best players in the league, CBS Sports’ Jack Maloney did not rank Clark among the WNBA’s Top 10 players. Or the Top 20. Or the Top 25. And it’s a key reminder that, despite all the hype, Clark is a rookie entering a league of tested pros.
As Maloney noted: “As usual, the list skews older. No rookies made it, not even Clark. One of the toughest parts of this exercise is balancing the here and now with the future, and while Clark may push her way into the top 25 by the end of the season, those who have proven it already get the benefit of the doubt.”
Caitlin Clark Coming Off Record-Breaking NCAA Career
Clark was the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft after a stellar career at Iowa that saw her average 28.4 points with 7.1 rebounds and 8.2 assists, shooting 37.7% from the 3-point line on an incredible 10.4 attempts per game. She was an All-American in all four of her collegiate seasons and was a two-time national player of the year.
Her performance in this year’s NCAA tournament helped push record viewership women’s March Madness.
But things will get more difficult at the pro level. There was backlash in April when star WNBA veteran Diana Taurasi warned Clark that the league would be different, but Taurasi was right. The players Clark will be facing are just better.
“Reality is coming,” Taurasi said just before the WNBA Draft. “There’s levels to things. That’s just life. We all went through it.
“You look superhuman playing against some 18-year-olds, but you’re gonna come play with some grown women that have been playing basketball for a long time — not saying that’s not gonna translate.”
WNBA Champs Dominate Top 25 List
There’s no surprise that, atop the WNBA list is Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson, who nudged out Liberty center Breanna Stewart for the honor. In fact, four members of the two-time defending-champion Aces—Wilson along with Chelsea Gray, Jackie Young and Kelsey Plum—earned spots in the CBS Top 10.
And, indeed, there is not much youth among the Top 25, and that goes beyond Caitlin Clark or the other heralded WNBA rookies. Only one second-year player made the list and it happens to be Clark’s Fever teammate, center Aaliyah Boston.
Boston was the No. 1 pick last season and averaged 14.5 points with 8.4 rebounds. She was the unanimous choice for Rookie of the Year, and led the league by shooting 57.8% from the field. Her pairing with Clark is one reason the Fever have much higher expectations this season.
Even before Clark was headed to the WNBA, Boston was excited about the prospect of teaming up with her.
“I just think the way that she is able to see the floor,” Boston told NBC in March. “She’s able to pass the ball. I think she just sees the cuts before it happens and she’s just able to find the right angle. …
“If we were to play together in the league this year, then it would be just continue to be the post presence that I am. I just think her ability to shoot the ball, her ability to make the right pass could open up the floor.”