Caitlin Clark is incredible.
We’ve all seen her shooting, we’re now seeing her passing and another thing that makes her stand out, especially for her age, is her adaptability. During her first games in the WNBA, she seemed to be relying only on what worked back in Iowa, but now, she’s more keen to try something different. The thing that caught my attention in Wednesday’s game against the Dallas Wings was her driving to the basket. While she went just 2-for-9 from 3, she made eight 2-pointers, all of them coming from the interior; seven were, in fact, layups.
She wouldn’t have finished the game with 24 points if it wasn’t for her teammates spreading the floor and opening up the lane for her. She also owes them the grandest achievement of her WNBA career so far: 19 assists in a single game, a WNBA record. While the Fever ultimately lost the contest, it wasn’t like the team was stat padding just to make her look good. When the 19th dime came, both teams were tied at 93. The Wings closed out the game with a 8-0 run, as Clark committed a shooting foul and a turnover in the last two minutes.
Nobody’s going to blame her for the loss, just as nobody’s going to blame Aliyah Boston (career-high 28 points), NaLyssa Smith (13 points and 12 boards) or Kelsey Mitchell (13 points on 60 percent shooting). The Fever are steadily improving and are better than their 11-15 record might indicate. For the first time this season, they’ve entered the top five of ESPN’s WNBA power rankings and if they keep this up, they will make the playoffs this season.
Clark and Boston are expected to contribute on a nightly basis for the Fever to stay in any game, but the key to winning seems to be Mitchell and her impact on offense. In the previous two games, wins against the Phoenix Mercury and Minnesota Lynx, she scored 28 and 21 points, respectively. Getting her enough touches and open shots will be crucial for the Fever in the near future. For now, they’re heading into the Olympic break. Kristy Wallace will be the only Fever player at the Olympics, suiting up for the Australian Opals. But first, expect Boston, Clark and Mitchell to give their all against Team USA at WNBA All-Star 2024.
