Caitlin Clark's rookie season came to an end Wednesday at Mohegan Sun Arena as the Connecticut Sun proved too much for the Indiana Fever. The presumptive Rookie of the Year dropped 25 points in what proved to be the final game of her first professional season.
The Iowa legend was selected first overall by Indiana in the 2024 WNBA Draft following the Hawkeyes' run to the national championship. After a 1-8 start to the season, the Fever -- and Clark -- settled into their identity. Clark and veteran Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell made a case for best WNBA backcourt coming out of the Olympic break as Indiana went 8-2 in their first 10 games back.
Like other top draft picks in years' past, Clark has been on a wild roller coaster since her NCAA career ended in April. Along with the rigor on the court, Clark also shouldered the ups and downs of being arguably the most recognizable name in women's basketball.
"The adversity that these guys went through, just the the expectations that were insane for us to start this season, and what people thought we should be doing, and ... the outside noise that these guys had to had to endure from game one till now, so hurtful," Fever coach Christie Sides said postgame. "They handled it and kept showing up and kept coming in our locker room and kept finding ways to get better, and we freaking landed in the playoffs."
Through it all, Clark's game spoke for itself, and as she became more comfortable as a facilitator, the Fever found their stride.
Heading into the 2024 WNBA playoffs, Clark averaged just over 19 points and eight assists per game for the Fever. She tallied the first-ever rookie triple double and surpassed Ticha Penicheiro to become the all-time rookie assists leader in her WNBA debut season.
Clark is expected to be named the 2024 Rookie of the Year, and she could potentially become the sixth player to win unanimously -- the most recent being her teammate Aliyah Boston last year. As for the offseason, Clark hasn't given it too much thought, though Ryan Ruocco revealed on the ESPN broadcast Wednesday she "almost definitely will not play basketball this offseason."
"I was focused on beating the Connecticut Sun. I haven't thought too far down the line. I don't know what I'm going to do tomorrow. I don't know what I'm going to do the next day," Clark joked.
Despite not having concrete plans, the rookie guard looks forward to taking a moment to reflect on not just her rookie year, but also her senior season at Iowa.
"I feel like I didn't even have time to really reflect on my college career, because it ended so fast, and then I came here and was trying to give everything I could to this team," Clark said. "I feel like taking some time to myself and really enjoying that and reflecting back ... It'll definitely be probably a little weird for me over the course the first couple weeks. And then I'm sure I'll get bored and pick up a basketball again."
With the 87-81 loss, the Fever are eliminated from their first playoff appearance since 2016. With the win, the Sun advance to their sixth consecutive WNBA semifinals. Connecticut entered the WNBA playoffs as the No. 3 seed and will face either the Mercury or the Lynx in the semis.
