Just over one month ago, Caitlin Clark wrapped up her career as an Iowa Hawkeye. She has since been drafted, gone through training camp, and began her WNBA career all in the span of six weeks.
That workload is a lot for any rookie to carry, especially Clark who is being pushed into the starting spotlight for the Indiana Fever immediately. In turn, it took less than four games for Clark to have her first injury scare when she appeared to injure her ankle on Monday against the Connecticut Sun.
ESPN’s Andraya Carter, who hosted the halftime broadcast, blamed Clark’s apparent injury on the whirlwind of a turnaround that WNBA rookies have to face on a yearly basis.
“We can’t move the WNBA season as of now,” Carter said. “But it is not a great system schedule-wise for college players that go deep into the NCAA tournament that shoulder a heavy load the way Caitlin Clark did. It is not a great setup for the immediate turnaround that they have to make to play in the WNBA, especially for guards. The movement that you have to utilize. The speed, the aggression, the physicality that guards have to endure at this level — they come off playing an entire college season, and then they have to flip the switch almost immediately.
“The draft is what? Two weeks later after college season ends? And then right after that, you’re right in training camp, trying to figure out this level. But for Caitlin, her teammates playing better will help take pressure off of her not only mentally, but physically.”
The Fever led the Sun 44-41 at the halftime break despite Clark sitting for a chunk of the second quarter with the injury.
Kelsey Mitchell leads Indiana with 12 points at the break while Nalyssa Smith falls behind her with a 10-point, five-rebound first-half effort. Aliyah Boston has been quiet in the post with four points and three rebounds, but the Fever have seemingly found their rhythm as the Fever look to secure their first win of the season on Monday night.
“The entire team already looks better,” Carter continued. “That takes the pressure off of Caitlin’s mind but also off of her body because the transition that rookies have to make body-wise is huge.”
Whether the WNBA’s need to adopt an NBA-style schedule where the draft is held several months before the season is the ultimate answer to this issue remains to be seen.
Clark did return to start the second half. She finished the first half with eight points and will look to balloon that total in the hopes of giving her team the victory tonight.
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