Caitlin Clark’s Polarizing WNBA Debut

The wait is finally over and the highly anticipated regular season debut of Caitlin Clark arrived on Tuesday night as the Indiana Fever took on the Connecticut Sun. 

While Caitlin Clark scored a double-double, it was not the kind that she would have liked, nor one that fans and the Fever organization wanted to see. She finished with 20 points and 10 turnovers in a disappointing 92-71 loss to the Connecticut Sun.

The first regular season game that took place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut is the Sun’s first sold out season opener in over a decade with 8,910 tickets sold. The last time the team sold out their first season opener was back in 2003 for their first ever game, according to ESPN. 

There is no doubt that the arrival of Caitlin Clark, amongst other rookie stars in the 2024 draft class such as Angel Reese and Cameron Brink have pushed the WNBA to reach new heights in terms of viewership and investment. The Indiana Fever have not been in the playoffs since 2016 and will now have 36 out of 40 regular season games on national television. Some teams like the Los Angeles Sparks are even moving their games against Caitlin Clark and the Fever to larger venues to accommodate the surplus of fans attending the event. 

In what was arguably the most awaited rookie debut in WNBA history, Clark struggled for the majority of the game. The number one overall draft pick in the 2024 WNBA draft and leading scorer in all of Division I college basketball history did not live up to the hype in her professional debut. 

To open up Clark’s first regular season game, she missed her first three shots and quickly racked up two fouls. She landed on the bench for much of the remainder of the first quarter. Clark checked back into the game with just four seconds left on the shot clock in what looked like Indiana’s attempt to get her open for a last-second three-point attempt. 

Fouling and turnovers for the Fever seemed to be a common theme throughout the night. Clark finished with 10 turnovers while the rest of the team ended with a whopping 25 total. Dijonai Carrington, the 26-year-old guard for the Suns who played for Stanford and Baylor, heckled Clark all night on the defensive end. When Clark finally found her groove in the fourth-quarter, most of this occurred when Carrington was on the sideline attending to an injury. 

“This is what they expect from me every night whether it’s Caitlin or whoever we’re playing,” said Carrington. “This is the expectation, this is the standard.”

Nalyssa Smith was the only other player for the Fever to score in double figures for the Fever as she tallied 13 points and 9 rebounds. Last year’s number one overall pick Aliyah Boston scored just 4 points in the season opener. Risky passing and forced shots led to visual frustration from Clark going into halftime which prompted a much needed pep-talk from Boston. 

Clark finished with 20 points on 5-15 shooting, going 4-11 from three. According to ESPNStatsInfo, her 10 turnovers were the most in a game in Fever history and the most in a debut game for a rookie in the WNBA. Clark turned what was looking like a forgettable debut into a quietly historic night, as she joined Maya Moore and Edena Campbell as the only players in WNBA history to record more than 20 points and 4 three pointers in a rookie debut. 

In just about every way, the Suns, led by veterans DeWanna Bonner and Alyssa Thomas, outshined Clark and the Fever. This opening game proved that although Clark will no doubt have a promising future in the WNBA, there is still a transitional period for any rookie. 

Clark heated up in the fourth quarter scoring the Fever’s last eight points with three minutes and 26 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Despite the last-ditch effort by Clark, it was simply not enough to erase the double-digit deficit. 

DeWanna Bonner tied Clark for a game-high and identical stat-line of 20 points, 5-15 from FG, and 4-11 from 3. She climbed to number five on the WNBA’s all-time scoring list with 6,897 points. Alyssa Thomas recorded her ninth triple-double of her career with a stat line of 13 points, 10 rebounds, and 13 assists.

A few things were clear in Clark’s first WNBA game. The physicality is on another level, it takes more than one player to win a game, and the margin for error is smaller than ever before. It will take time for Caitlin Clark and the Fever to get to a level to compete with championship caliber teams like the Connecticut Sun who have experience and chemistry. Connecticut has one of the most experienced rosters in the league, with an average opening day roster experience of roughly 5.7 years played in the WNBA outside of the rookies. 

While Clark’s scoring is at the forefront of her game, her playmaking ability may be the single greatest asset to the Indiana Fever as she transitions into the rest of her professional career. Clark commented on her expectations for her first WNBA game prior to her debut.

“If something isn’t perfect, my life’s not going to end,” she said. “If, you know, we lose the game tonight, my life’s not going to end. I’m just going to learn from it and come back on Thursday and try to help us win,” said Clark. 

The Indiana Fever had the exact opposite record compared to the Sun last season, struggling at 13-27 in 2023, which was the third-worst record in the WNBA. The Fever finished 5-31 in 2021 and 6-26 in 2022. 

With back-to-back number one draft picks in Aliyah Boston and Caitlin Clark, they are looking to win their second ever WNBA title and first since 2012. Historically, the three previous WNBA franchises to have back-to-back number one picks went on to win a WNBA championship within the next four years. The Seattle Storm did this twice and the Las Vegas Aces have won back-to-back. In addition to Clark and Boston, in 2022 the Fever drafted NaLyssa Smith with the second overall pick. 

The defending champion Las Vegas Aces look to win their third championship in a row opening as the favorites to win the title this season with A’ja Wilson headlining as the MVP favorite. The influx of talent will be a tall task for Clark and the Fever to battle against in her first year, but the team has their sights set on the playoffs and beyond. 

“We’re so excited for this year because we have so much talent,” Boston said during one of the Fever’s media days earlier this month. “We’ve been working together to jell. The No. 1 goal is definitely going to be making the playoffs — and not just a lower seed. Hopefully even in the middle of the pack.”

According to NBCSportsBet, Caitlin Clark is at +700 odds to lead the WNBA in scoring as a Rookie. The Fever have the fifth best odds to win a WNBA title this year behind the Sun, Storm, Liberty and Aces. 

In the annual WNBA General Managers pre-season survey, 50% voted Clark as the player they would want to start a franchise with and 82% voted that she is likely to be the face of the WNBA in five years. Clark’s first performance is not what anyone expected from the star, but despite her struggles, she showed flashes of potential. 

When asked about her performance in a post game press conference, Clark left reporters with her mindset going into the Fever’s next game. 

“Obviously I’m disappointed & nobody likes to lose, but you can’t beat yourself up too much,” uttered Clark. 

Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever take on Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu and the New York Liberty this Thursday at 7pm EST on ESPN2.