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    • Caitlin Clark’s record-breaking rookie year comes to an end. What’s next?
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    Caitlin Clark’s record-breaking rookie year comes to an end. What’s next?

    Idris Bevan Posted on

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    Caitlin Clark’s first professional season is over and people are already imagining what she will do in her second.

    Clark had a sensational, record-breaking year in the WNBA and is the clear favorite for the Rookie of the Year title.

    After leading Indiana to its first playoff appearance since 2016, Clark and the Fever faced a seasoned and experienced Connecticut Sun team. The Sun swept the Fever off the court on Wednesday, winning Game 2 87-81. Now, Clark will pack up and head back to Indiana, where she may spend her longest break from organized basketball. But that doesn’t mean Clark won’t work. What’s scary for her opponents is that she’ll probably get better.

    “I feel like basketball has been my whole life for a year,” Clark said after Wednesday’s loss, referring to the fact that the Iowa women played in the Crossover at Kinnick last October, a basketball game played at the football stadium to accommodate the huge crowd demand for Clark.

    “The first few weeks (without) it will probably be a little weird for me,” she said. “And then I’ll probably get bored and go back to basketball.”

    So how much better can she get? Let’s break it down into the three stats that always get Clark talked about the most: points, passes and turnovers.

    Since New York defenseman Sabrina Ionescu, now in her fifth season, is the closest comparison in terms of position, size and skill, it makes sense to also look at Ionescu’s statistics, especially when it comes to shooting.

    And it’s important to remember that as the WNBA continues to grow—in 2025, teams will play a record 44 games in the regular season—Clark will have even more opportunities to break various records.

    MORE: How many points did Caitlin Clark score in her rookie season in the WNBA? Check out her stats

    Caitlin Clark will probably shoot better in 2025

    Celebrated for her logo three-pointers and ability to stop immediately after crossing the midline, Clark had a pretty good shooting season in 2024. By converting 41.7% of her field goal attempts, Clark finished as the 20th best shooter among WNBA guards this season.

    While Clark’s shooting percentage at Iowa rose from 47.2% in her freshman year to 45.2%, then to 47.3%, and finally to 45.5% last year, it’s almost certain that she will improve in her second pro season, especially from the three-point line, where she shot 34.4% this season. In her final year at Iowa, Clark shot 37.8% from beyond the arc.

    By comparison, Ionescu’s shooting percentage rose steadily over her first few seasons in the league, from 37.9% in her first full year in 2021 to 42.3% in 2023. (She shot 39.4% in 38 regular-season games that year.) After still shooting in the low 30s in her first two years, Ionescu’s 3-point percentage rose to 44.8% in 2023. (Ionescu played just three games in 2020 due to a season-ending ankle injury.)

    While Clark will certainly become an even better and more efficient scorer at the professional level, defenders must also learn to cover her.

    “When you come into this league, it’s like you have all the valedictorian’s at one school,” said Skylar Diggins-Smith, one of the WNBA’s best perimeter defenders from Seattle. “Everyone is in this league for a reason and everyone can hurt you. (With scorers) you have to force them to take difficult shots and make life difficult for them. You’re always trying to take away their first option.”

    Actually, she says with a laugh, “you also hope that they miss just a little.”

    For guards in particular, Diggins-Smith emphasized, the first few seasons in the WNBA involve “a lot of on-the-job training because you don’t get a lot of training in camp or at practices. You just have to get through it, and then eventually the game slows down.”

    Bottom line: Expect these numbers to improve for Clark, especially from 3. The stat you really want to keep an eye on is how many shots she takes per game. She ranked 11th in that category this season (among all 144 players), but could climb up, especially as Indiana continues to play at a faster pace.

    Caitlin Clark’s sales will decline

    Clark was the league’s most turnover-prone player as a rookie (5.6 per game), but what did you expect? When you have the ball in your hands more than anyone else, that also means you’re likely to lose it more than anyone else.

    Comparisons are difficult here. Clark is the definition of a risk-a-lot-of-reward player, and when she gets going, she plays at breakneck speed. Many of her turnovers are due to risks she takes.

    The league’s other best passers – Ionescu, Connecticut’s Alyssa Thomas and New York’s Courtney Vandersloot – don’t have to throw as much because they have more talent around them, which helps them reduce turnovers.

    But as all of these experienced passers can attest to, the more Clark plays with her teammates and develops chemistry and timing with them, the fewer turnovers she’ll have, and the better she’ll get a feel for which defenders she can and can’t play past.

    Caitlin Clark will excel in the passing game

    Die-hard fans and casual WNBA viewers may love Clark for her shooting, but true basketball junkies know that what makes Clark so special is her passing.

    “You can’t protect someone’s vision and you can’t protect someone’s selflessness,” said Las Vegas coach Becky Hammon, who played 16 years in the league. “There are certain things that are in people, and she has an innate way of passing the ball. Her passing is her best part of her game. Her shots, people just want to talk about the logo threes or whatever, but — this girl will tear your defense to pieces.”

    In other words, Clark’s ability to see the other nine players on the field is unique. It’s difficult to predict what gaps she will see and what passes she can make through those gaps.

    Clark is also one of the best players in women’s basketball when it comes to being versatile. Diana Taurasi, the WNBA’s all-time leading scorer, has always been considered a tough ask because of her ability to do it all. Or so her teammates tell it.

    “Playing against DT was a real pain,” said Natasha Cloud, the Mercury’s current defenseman and Taurasi’s teammate who spent eight seasons with the Washington Mystics. “I left games with bruises all over my arm. She’s one of the hardest players to defend because she just has so many weapons. And what makes her super dangerous is that she can pass the ball really well, too.”

    According to Diggins-Smith, there is nothing like blocking an excellent passer to remind you of the importance of team defense.

    “With great point guards who can see, you try to capture their vision and show them different strategies,” Diggins-Smith said, explaining that it’s crucial that everyone gets hands in the passing lanes. “We’re not talking about a one-on-one duel here, we’re talking about a one-on-five duel. That also requires discipline.”

    Hammon agreed.

    “You have to catch the eye of people who are analyzing the game,” she said. “You have to embarrass them … once you learn how to use passing as a weapon, you’re basically unguardable.”

    This is good news for Clark and the fever, and sobering news for everyone tasked with protecting them.

    Contributors: Nancy Armour

    Email Lindsay Schnell at [email protected] and follow her on social media @Lindsay_Schnell

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    Idris Bevan
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