How is CC's rookie year going to go?

[zimpy27]

Mitchell calls her C² aka C-squared

[rmontro]

Mitchell calls her C² aka C-squared

Oh that's good, I like that.

I was watching the broadcast tonight, and they were talking about Clark's rookie records this season, and they mentioned Total Rebounds. I know she didn't have as many rebounds as Angel Reese, so maybe they're talking about the franchise record? I'm still a little surprised. CC gets her share, but I don't see her as a big rebounder.

[Ice Man]

I was watching the broadcast tonight, and they were talking about Clark's rookie records this season, and they mentioned Total Rebounds. I know she didn't have as many rebounds as Angel Reese, so maybe they're talking about the franchise record? I'm still a little surprised. CC gets her share, but I don't see her as a big rebounder.

I dunno about any records, that seems unlikely, but Clark is an elite rebounder for her position. She led the WNBA this season in rebounds by a guard, at 5.7. (Second place was Carrington, at 4.8.)

[IlikeSHAIguys]

Pretty suped to see CC in the playoffs

[IlikeSHAIguys]

I was watching the broadcast tonight, and they were talking about Clark's rookie records this season, and they mentioned Total Rebounds. I know she didn't have as many rebounds as Angel Reese, so maybe they're talking about the franchise record? I'm still a little surprised. CC gets her share, but I don't see her as a big rebounder.

I dunno about any records, that seems unlikely, but Clark is an elite rebounder for her position. She led the WNBA this season in rebounds by a guard, at 5.7. (Second place was Carrington, at 4.8.)

Isn't for a guard kind of cheating.

[Ice Man]

Isn't for a guard kind of cheating.

You mean, like OKC teammates clearing out so that Russ gets the board? Maybe. But I don't think that happens with Clark. Or at least if it does, every team she is on treats her that way. Because she rebounds great at the WNBA level, and she rebounded great for Iowa, and when she was on the U19 World US team in 2021 she rebounded great, getting 8.4 boards (!) per 40 minutes.

So, this seems pretty legit.

[rmontro]

I dunno about any records, that seems unlikely, but Clark is an elite rebounder for her position. She led the WNBA this season in rebounds by a guard, at 5.7.

Perhaps they meant Total Rebounds "for a guard", but either way it was rather misleading.

[IlikeSHAIguys]

That was short

[rmontro]

That was short

Making the playoffs isn't a bad goal for year one. Maybe for year two win a playoff game, or better yet, a series.

[Ice Man]

That was short

No WNBA first round loser got to play a single home game!

[Ice Man]

Clark bricked too many 3s to be said to have had a good playoff series in her first WNBA go-around, but here is one positive from the experience. These were the Indy team leaders in Turnover %, from worst to best -

Smith
Wheeler
Mitchell
Hull
Boston
Clark
Temi
Dantas

That's a heckuva accomplishment considering that (of course) Clark's Assist % was far higher than anybody else's.

But you gotta shoot better, young lady!

[cupcakesnake]

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10136922-grading-every-aspect-of-indiana-fever-star-caitlin-clarks-rookie-season

Nekias Duncan did a good report card on her rookie year.

[Ice Man]

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10136922-grading-every-aspect-of-indiana-fever-star-caitlin-clarks-rookie-season

Nekias Duncan did a good report card on her rookie year.

I agree with almost everything, except for the B+ for scoring. Clark was the best scoring PG in the WNBA, finishing slightly behind Sabrina in points per minute but well ahead of her in efficiency. To put the matter another way, the only guard on the USA women's Olympic team who could claim to have a better scoring season than her was Copper, and even then it was debatable. Copper scored 23.5 points per 36 minutes with 54.4% TS%, while Clark was 19.6 points at 58.3%. I probably would prefer Clark's combination but it's close.

But that's nitpicking. Duncan was right that Clark's midrange game needs improvement, so I could see assigning that B+ grade based on evaluation of Clark's methods, rather than strictly on her results. That's the remarkable thing ... Clark is already an elite scoring guard in the WNBA, even though she has a big hole in her game.

[cupcakesnake]

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10136922-grading-every-aspect-of-indiana-fever-star-caitlin-clarks-rookie-season

Nekias Duncan did a good report card on her rookie year.

I agree with almost everything, except for the B+ for scoring. Clark was the best scoring PG in the WNBA, finishing slightly behind Sabrina in points per minute but well ahead of her in efficiency. To put the matter another way, the only guard on the USA women's Olympic team who could claim to have a better scoring season than her was Copper, and even then it was debatable. Copper scored 23.5 points per 36 minutes with 54.4% TS%, while Clark was 19.6 points at 58.3%. I probably would prefer Clark's combination but it's close.

But that's nitpicking. Duncan was right that Clark's midrange game needs improvement, so I could see assigning that B+ grade based on evaluation of Clark's methods, rather than strictly on her results. That's the remarkable thing ... Clark is already an elite scoring guard in the WNBA, even though she has a big hole in her game.

Quite a few holes in Clark's game seem pretty easy to correct. That's terrifying for the rest of the league. She's extremely likely to hit her 3s at a better clip, trim the fat on some of those obvious turnovers, and develop some kind of midrange counter. She's on track to become the scariest source of perimeter offense the league has ever seen.

[ellobo]

The fact that she put up 25/9/6 with a block and a steal in a playoff elimination game against a great defensive team and it feels a little disappointing shows how good she's been and what the expectations have become.

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10136922-grading-every-aspect-of-indiana-fever-star-caitlin-clarks-rookie-season

Nekias Duncan did a good report card on her rookie year.

Good write up. But a B+ for the 7th overall scorer in the league on well above league average efficiency seems a little harsh, especially considering the defensive attention she gets and the difficulty of her attempts (as the article points out). She had the most unassisted points on three point shots, 57 more than the second most (Arike), and the second most points on unassisted two point shots (8 less than Arike). Arike's eFG% was .46; Clark was .522. TS% was .520 vs. .583. In other words, she scores more unassisted points than the best iso chucker in the league, but at much higher efficiency.

Based on her potential, maybe B+, but based on other players, I think that's underselling what she's done.

[Stannis]

That was short

No WNBA first round loser got to play a single home game!

They ever talk about making it a 5 series for the first round?

I'm sure a lot of first time WNBA watchers were blindsided by this.

It should at least be 1-1-1, especially with the long breaks between the games anyways.

[jc23]

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

continues to bat 1000 in interviews. what i appreciate most is how her stance has never changed and she has never played victim or made it all about Caitlin. every interview she gives props to her opponent and her teammates without fail.

[Billy Goat]

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

continues to bat 1000 in interviews. what i appreciate most is how her stance has never changed and she has never played victim or made it all about Caitlin. every interview she gives props to her opponent and her teammates without fail.

I feel like even acknowledging randoms online making empty silly statements is even a waste. The league needs to block that stuff out like every other league and organization that gets it. Everyone does.

[Doctor MJ]

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

continues to bat 1000 in interviews. what i appreciate most is how her stance has never changed and she has never played victim or made it all about Caitlin. every interview she gives props to her opponent and her teammates without fail.

I feel like even acknowledging randoms online making empty silly statements is even a waste. The league needs to block that stuff out like every other league and organization that gets it. Everyone does.

I think you've got a point if it stayed online, but it isn't. The reports from the Sun-Fever series are ugly.

In general I'd emphasize that there have been problematic actors on both sides, and yes that includes some WNBA players on the "other side", but there is clearly a CC + MAGA fan base that is traveling to road Fever games and heckling with racial connotations, and this is a thing that the WNBA needs to figure out how to handle.

CC on the other hand seems to know how to take the high road every time, which is extremely impressive.

[theforumblue]

Absolutely abhorrant behavior from the racist trolls parading as fans.

But I don't like that the wnba was more than happy to take their money and kept relatively quiet about it the whole season. It almost feels like they gave the go ahead for players/coaches/media to really start talking about this now that fever's season is done and money train won't be disrupted.