Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark‘s highly-anticipated WNBA debut against the Connecticut Sun got off to a rough start. The guard just couldn’t find her groove and didn’t even get her first bucket until just past the midway point in the second quarter. She finished the half strong and had seven points at the break, before going on to have a much better second half. But Skip Bayless was less than impressed with her performance.
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The veteran analyst credited Sun’s Dijonai Carrington for her excellent defensive display against the rookie guard and noted that the latter was struggling to find her rhythm against the four-year veteran.
So far Caitlin Clark is having a rough WNBA debut. Dijonai Carrington, in her 4th pro season, took Caitlin to school in the first half – 5 turnovers, only 7 points. Now let’s see is Caitlin starts to figure it out.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) May 15, 2024
Clark’s second half was a lot better and Bayless credited her for finding her range from beyond the arc. That said, he made it clear that he was still a bit disappointed with her timidness with the ball. After the game, Bayless gave his verdict about her debut on X, formerly Twitter, writing,
“Caitlin Clark warmed up from 3, and managed 20 points – pretty impressive. But 10 turnovers and 0 rebounds obviously won’t work. Must be stronger and surer with the ball. But hey, it was her first game.”
Caitlin Clark warmed up from 3, managed 20 points – pretty impressive. But 10 turnovers and 0 rebounds obviously won’t work. Must be stronger and surer with the ball. But hey, it was her first game.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) May 15, 2024
The host of ‘Undisputed’ has built a notorious reputation for his fervent criticism of LeBron James, along with a host of other NBA players over the years. Oftentimes, he is even known to go more than a bit off the rails with what he has to say. So, it is a little bit of a surprise to see him be as fair as he was with his comments on Clark. Perhaps he is waiting a little before he can enter that mode with her career too.
As for the former Hawkeye, her debut, while not too bad, was certainly expected to be better.
Caitlin Clark’s debut leaves a lot to be desired
Caitlin Clark’s first appearance in the WNBA wasn’t much to write home about. The guard had a rough shooting night as she banked only five of her 15 shot attempts in the game.
Fever head coach Christie Sides had seemingly handed the guard a free rein on the court, as she finished the game with 11 three-point attempts, two more than the rest of her team combined. However, it didn’t translate into success as she sunk only four of her 11 attempts from long range.
However, despite her shooting, it was Clark’s carelessness with the ball that was the story of the night. She committed 10 turnovers and provided only three assists, as she failed to shake off Carrington suffocating defense.
The rookie guard will write off her rough night and the team’s 21-point loss as a bad day at the office and look to bounce back in her home debut against the defending Western Conference champions New York Liberty on Thursday night. Hopefully, fans can see her return to her very best, and go off for the kind of performance that has come to be expected from her.
