Caitlin Clark was named Eastern Conference Player of the Month for August, the WNBA announced on Wednesday. It makes the No. 1 overall pick the first rookie ever to earn a Player of the Month honor, which began in 2010. In addition, Clark was named Rookie of the Month for August, which is the third time she's received that recognition this season.
Clark played the best basketball yet of her young career in August, averaging 24 points, 5.2 rebounds and 8.5 assists per game on 46.9/37.3/93.8 shooting splits. During the month she was third in the league in scoring, first in assists and third in 3-pointers made.
After an inconsistent start to her rookie campaign, Clark picked up steam in June and has been a completely different player since the Olympic break. She broke the rookie assist record, the rookie 3-point record and set a new career-high with 31 points in a win over the Chicago Sky
While she certainly would have liked to make the Team USA roster for the 2024 Paris Olympics, the time off and a second "training camp" did wonders for herself and her team. Fever coach Christie Sides, who was named WNBA Coach of the Month, told reporters back in June that after Clark was snubbed from the national team, she texted her, "hey coach, they woke a monster."
Based on her play the last few weeks, that does seem to be the case.
With Clark playing at this level, the Fever have turned into one of the best teams in the league. They are 6-1 since the season resumed, which is the best record in that span, have climbed into sixth place and clinched a playoff spot for the first time since 2016.