The season has been unlike any other for Caitlin Clark. The Indiana Fever guard, who hadn’t missed a single game since starting college in 2020, has now missed 18 games this year.
Clark has had to be patient during her recovery, facing something she’s never dealt with. With more free time, she joined Sue Bird on her podcast.
How Did the Jump to WNBA Evolve Caitlin Clark’s Playstyle?
As Clark and Bird discussed the Fever guard’s legendary NCAA career and subsequent transition to the WNBA, Bird asked her how she bounces back in games where her shots aren’t falling. Clark responded while shedding light on the differences between college basketball and the WNBA.
“Yeah, I think it’s been different professionally than definitely in college. Like in college, I always had to keep shooting. Like that was just reality. And not that it’s not professionally. But I’m not taking 25 shots a game,” said the reigning Rookie of the Year.
As Clark made her way to the WNBA, her usage rate dropped significantly. In her final season at Iowa, Clark’s usage rate was a staggering 40.7%. In her rookie season, that number dropped to 26.2%. While Clark remained amongst the league leaders, the physicality and quality of defenses in the WNBA do not allow her to put up as many shots.
“I think just like remaining confident in myself, no matter what, and like reminding myself of how much time I’ve put in, like, you know, not going to stay shooting. I can always impact the game with my passing, with my gravity.”
With the presence of talents such as Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston to aid Clark, she doesn’t necessarily have to shoot her way out of it. With the gravity she holds as a shooter and playmaker, she can create better shots for her teammates. The Fever guard also shared how Head Coach Stephanie White has helped her.
“Even when I’ve had some like tough games this season, where I haven’t been able to shoot the ball maybe as well as I would have liked, like Steph will bring me in the next day and like we we always watch film and like she’ll show me the ways I’m impacting the game,” said Clark.
“If I’m not like making the pass or getting the assist, like I’m getting the hockey assist or my gravity of spacing the floor, that led to my teammate cutting and getting open right there, or that led to my post player being able to make the basket.”
Although Clark has adapted undeniably well to the pace and play of the WNBA, the physicality seems to have caught up with her this season, as injuries have kept her out. As the race for home court advantage in the Playoffs gets tighter, Coach White and the Fever hope Clark can recover soon, as she can change the outcome of any ball game.
