Getty Caitlin Clark's WNBA debut with the Indiana Fever came with mixed results.
It was not an ideal WNBA debut for Caitlin Clark as the Indiana Fever sustained a 21-point blowout loss to the Connecticut Sun. After a slow start, Clark started to find her footing in the second half, but the star labeled her 10 turnovers as “uncharacteristic.”
“I think definitely the physicality,” Clark said of her struggles during a May 14, 2024 postgame press conference. “I think also some uncharacteristic stuff like I pick up the ball and travel. I dribble off my foot. I pass it on the inbound. I turn it over.
“So, just a few things. You have to be crisper. Those are situations where you’re just giving the other team the ball. I think collectively, obviously, 25 turnovers is going to make it really hard for us to win.”
Caitlin Clark’s Stats in WNBA Debut: 20 Points, 3 Assists, 2 Steals & 10 Turnovers
Caitlin Clark reflects on her first game in the WNBA.
(🎥: @TaliaGoodmanWBB)
To Clark’s credit, the star took accountability for her lack of crispness in the season opener. The good news for Clark and Indiana is the team gets another opportunity in their home debut against the New York Liberty on Thursday, May 16.
“Caitlin Clark credited CT’s physicality for forcing so many personal/team turnovers — but also felt many of hers were ‘uncharacteristic.’ Said she has to be crisper,” ESPN’s Alexa Philippou detailed in a May 14 message on X. “[Fever head coach] Christie Sides also mentioned she thought the team could help Clark out more if they’d come to the ball more.”
Clark finished with 20 points, 3 assists and 2 steals to go with the 10 turnovers. The rookie made just 5-of-15 of her shots bud did hit 4-of-11 attempts from long range.
Caitlin Clark on 1st Impressions of WNBA: ‘I Thought It Was Physical’
Dijonai Carrington giving Caitlin Clark a proper “Welcome to the #WNBA rook” moment
Clark pointed to the physicality of the game at several points during her postgame comments. The Fever guard picked up two quick fouls in the first quarter. Clark admitted that getting into early foul trouble disrupted her start to the game.
“I thought it was physical,” Clark admitted. “I don’t know, obviously it wasn’t like the best start in the first half for myself getting into foul trouble and then you got to sit on the bench and try to come back into the game and get into a little bit of a flow.
“Obviously, too many turnovers. That’s not going to get the job done, but I think just a lot of things to learn from. I didn’t think we played well, and we cut it to 6 [points] in the third quarter.”
Caitlin Clark Attempted to Lean on Her Passing But It Resulted in 10 Turnovers in WNBA Debut
Caitlin Clark knocks down the first three of her @WNBA career 🎯
The Fever offense looked disjointed against a stout Sun defense. Heading into the season, Clark pointed to her passing as one of the things she could lean on as she began her pro career. Unfortunately, some of these anticipatory passes led to takeaways in the first game.
“I think my passing, and I think that’s even the biggest thing throughout my college career, too is everybody always fell in love with my shooting or like my scoring,” Clark told ESPN’s Holly Rowe during an April 14 feature interview. “But I’ve always been somebody that has loved to pass the ball.
“I think that’s something I developed at a young age. So, being able to get my teammates open. Be able to hit my teammates in transition. I love to play uptempo. I love to play fast and obviously, going to the WNBA, the talent level around me is going to be really, really good. So, it should only make my job easier feeding them the ball.”