Caitlin Clark and indiana fever On Sunday afternoon, you’ll be facing off against one of the WNBA’s great players.
Like many things for Clark and the WNBA during her rookie season, there will be plenty of drama.
The Fever’s five-game road trip continues Friday. seattle storm 9pm CT. Then on Sunday, Indiana Phoenix Against Diana Taurasi and Mercury.
Taurasi has been a regular on the WNBA and Olympic teams for decades. The 42-year-old guard has been a member of five teams that have won Olympic gold medals and she will have a chance to win her sixth gold medal at the Paris Olympics this summer.
Taurasi was also a 10-time WNBA All-Star, three-time WNBA Champion and two-time WNBA Finals MVP after winning three NCAA Championships at UConn.
Taurasi is one of the greatest and most respected players in women’s basketball. When she speaks, people listen.
That was the case in the 2024 NCAA Tournament, when Clark and Iowa marched to the national championship game against South Carolina. Taurasi garnered national attention and headlines for his comments about Scott Van Pelt on ESPN’s “SportsCenter” after the Hawkeyes advanced to their second straight national championship game by beating UConn in the Final Four.
Van Pelt’s question What does the league have in store for Clark? And when her fellow rookie class got there, Taurasi shared her honest assessment.
“Look, SVP, reality is coming. There are levels to this and that’s life. We’ve all been through it. You’re going to see it on the NBA side and you’re going to see superhumans playing against 18-year-olds over the long term.
“I’m not saying it won’t translate. If you’re good at what you do, it’ll just get better. But there’s going to be a transition period where you have to be kind to yourself as a newcomer. For some people, it might take a little longer,” Taurasi said.
That caused quite a stir. Some see it as the Taurasi throwing shade. I wonder if this answer is controversial.. In the months that followed, others I feel Taurasi was right. From her perspective.
On Wednesday, Taurasi was asked what he thought about facing Clark for the first time on Sunday. Taurasi didn’t tense up for too long this time.
“Yeah, it’ll be fun.” Taurasi said.
It seems pretty clear that Taurasi isn’t trying to get back into the weeds of this whole debate. At least not when the game is about to start.
After first commenting to Van Pelt before the national championship game, Taurasi doubled down on his comments.
Taurasi said in late April, “These days, new fans are too sensitive to say anything.” “It’s like there are learning adjustments when you go from kindergarten to first grade, and there are learning adjustments when you go from high school to college. Actually, I don’t think I said anything wrong. Like anything else, greatness is going to translate and she’s proven that at every level and I don’t think it’s any different in the WNBA.”
Although there were certainly growing pains, Clark had a solid rookie season, including some record-setting performances. Clark is averaging 16.3 points, 6.6 assists, 5.4 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game. The 6-foot guard is shooting 39.9% from the field, 35.2% from 3-point range and 88.9% from the free throw line.
Clark became the first rookie in league history to score 15 or more points, have 10 or more assists and connect on five or more 3-pointers in a WNBA game during the Fever’s 88-87 loss at the Chicago Sky. Clark also set an Indiana Fever single-game franchise record with 13 assists against the Sky.
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