Caitlin Clark Gives Brutally Honest Assessment of Early WNBA Career Performances

The mark of a good athlete is being able to know what they’re doing right, and what they’re doing wrong on the court, field, or course. The mark of a great athlete is knowing how to fix it if things aren’t going well.

We know that Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark is a good athlete, but now we will learn if she is a great athlete or not.

On Saturday afternoon, following the Fever’s 91-80 loss to the New York Liberty — Clark’s third-straight loss in the WNBA — the former Iowa Hawkeyes superstar offered a brutally honest assessment of where her game is right now at the professional level.

“The game seems a little fast for me right now,” Clark said, per ESPN.com’s Michael Voepel. “The more I play and the more comfortable I get, it’s going to slow down a little bit. It will be easier for me to make reads, see things develop.”

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) pulls on her jersey in frustration, Thursday, May 16, 2024, during the Indiana Fever home opener game against the New York Liberty at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) pulls on her jersey in frustration, Thursday, May 16, 2024, during the Indiana Fever home opener game against the New York Liberty at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

© Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK

As a former two-time consensus college basketball player of the year, it has been relatively shocking to see Clark struggle at this next level, but the physicality of the WNBA game has certainly thrown her for a loop early on.

“The physicality is definitely up there. … I’m easily pushed off screens,” Clark said.

In Saturday’s game, Clark had one of the best games of her professional career thus far, leading the Fever with 22 points on 9-for-17 shooting with four three-pointers. She also had eight assists and six rebounds.

Despite the numbers she put up, Clark was still outshined by other stars in the league, including Breanna Stewart (24 points), Jonquel Jones (14 points), and Sabrina Ionescu (12 points).

The Fever play next on Monday afternoon against the Connecticut Sun, so we will get another chance to see how she holds up against the physicality of her new league.