Caitlin Clark has continued where she left off before the Olympic break. Her 8.3 assists per game remain the best in the league. CC had another explosive performance against the Seattle Storm yesterday as her 23 points and 9 assists helped Indiana Fever put together a 17-point win. During the post-game conference, Clark confessed that even she didn’t think she would lead the league in assists in her very first year in the WNBA.
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The guard has dished out 19 dimes in the last two games, pushing her season tally to 232 assists. It took her just 28 games to surpass Sacramento Monarchs legend Ticha Penicheiro, who previously held the rookie record of total assists with 225.
Clark admitted that if someone had told her that she’d lead the league in assists in her rookie year before her Draft, she wouldn’t have taken that person seriously.
“If you would’ve told me I would lead the league in assists coming in here in my rookie season, I probably would’ve told you you were lying,” Clark told a reporter.
CC also said that she wears her accomplishment like a badge of honor because finding easy routes for her teammates to score is always her priority. She added, “I take a lot of pride in that. I want to set my teammates up first and foremost because I think that is gonna help you have the most successful team.”
caitlin: “if you would’ve told me i would lead the league in assists coming in here in my rookie season, i probably would’ve told you you were lying.”
it’s such a crazy feat and i am so proud of her 🫂💔 pic.twitter.com/9BceoRcXVB
— cc akgae (@clrkszn) August 19, 2024
She then touched upon her passing skills thriving in the Pick-and-Roll action, much to the credit of her teammates Aliyah Boston and NaLyssa Smith. Meanwhile, the Fever rookie guard highlighted the improvement in her team’s shooting, which is why she now feels more inclined to pass the ball to her open teammates.
The 22-year-old accepted that her tendency to pass too much can be a deterrent as it can result in turnovers. However, she has been steadily learning how to avoid such mistakes. Her recent performances indicate that she has indeed taken her game to another level swiftly.
Clark has been on a tear since the Olympics hiatus. She put up 29 points and 10 assists in the first game against the Phoenix Mercury after the break. Her electric performance drew the attention of Kevin Garnett as well.
Since the WNBA season started just a month after the end of the NCAA tourney, rookie players didn’t get ample time to study film and make suitable adjustments.
KG believes that CC utilized the Olympic break to accomplish the same. On X, Garnett wrote,
“What if @CaitlinClark22’s Olympic break was the off season adjustment for the league that @wnba rookies don’t get before their 1st season… shyt looked crazy out there yesterday… Can tell she was in the film room…”
Such praise is expected. Caitlin Clark has looked phenomenal since mid-June. Her last two performances helped her squad take down two teams with better records. She has looked like a legitimate All-WNBA First Team candidate recently.
