Is the WNBA doing enough to support Caitlin Clark's stardom? | The Herd
Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever are on a 6-1 run, with Clark seemingly running away with the Rookie of the Year award. Colin Cowherd and Nick Wright ask if the WNBA is doing enough to support Clark's rising stardom.
The obvious is now official - Caitlin Clark has been named the WNBA's Rookie of the Year for the 2024 season.
The announcement came on Thursday afternoon.
Clark more than lived up to the billing as the No. 1 overall pick, following a storied career at Iowa in which she became the NCAA's all-time leading scorer.
Roughly a week after losing the national championship for the second year in a row, Clark was selected by the Indiana Fever, and early on, it was a struggle.
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Caitlin Clark #22 of the Indiana Fever plays defense during the game against the Chicago Sky on June 16, 2024 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images)
Indiana lost 10 of their first 13 games to start the season, but when Clark got hot, so did the Fever. A four-game winning streak kicked off what became an awesome stretch for the Fever, as they wound up going 17-10 in their final 27 games, clinching a playoff spot.
In her first 14 games, Clark posted up-and-down numbers, failing to reach 15 points in a game seven times, but dropping 20-plus another six. But, she posted double-digit points in her next 25 games and played much more consistently.
Over a 19-game stretch, Clark averaged 21.9 points and 10.5 assists per game - in that span, she recorded at least a dozen assists nine times. That span also included a WNBA record 19 assists on July 17 against the Dallas Wings.
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) smiles as she heads down court after a 3-point basket in the final seconds of the game against the Los Angeles Sparks at Crypto.com Arena. (Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports)
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In all, Clark finished with 19.2 points, 8.4 assists (which led the WNBA), and 5.7 rebounds per game. Her 19.2 points were the most by any rookie this season.
Clark set the records for the most points and three-pointers by a rookie in league history, while also becoming the first rookie to record a triple-double (a feat she accomplished twice). Her 334 assists not only were the most by a rookie, but they were the most by any player ever in a single season.
Clark received 66 of the 67 first-place votes - the other was given to Angel Reese.
Clark's Fever were eliminated in the playoffs by the Connecticut Sun, the same team Clark debuted against, earlier this week. But this season will live on in WNBA lore forever.
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) reacts after a three-point basket in front of Minnesota Lynx forward Bridget Carleton (6) in the first half of a WNBA basketball game in Indianapolis on Sept. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
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It's just the beginning for Clark, so the best is certainly yet to come.
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