sbnation
During Tuesday night's Indiana Fever win against the Seattle Storm, Caitlin Clark put together a remarkable performance. The guard poured in 32 points on 9-of-14 shooting, adding seven assists and four rebounds as the Fever moved to 18-10 on the season.
Clark is currently averaging 21.5 points per game, third best in the WNBA, and 7.9 assists per game, which ranks second. Her offensive impact is unmatched, as no other player generates more scoring opportunities for her team.
What stands out this season is Clark's improved efficiency. After shooting 41.7% from the field and 34.4% from three as a rookie, and then 36.7% and 27.9% respectively in an injury-shortened sophomore campaign, she is now hitting 44.3% of her field goals and 35.4% from beyond the arc—both career highs. Her turnover rate has also declined from 5.6 per game as a rookie to 4.7 this year.
Clark's true shooting percentage of 60.3% ranks 31st in the league, placing her ahead of many top guards such as Marina Mabrey, Jackie Young, Chelsea Gray, Allisha Gray, Rhyne Howard, Sabrina Ionescu, Veronica Burton, and Courtney Williams. However, Kelsey Plum, Sonia Citron, Kelsey Mitchell, Kayla McBride, Paige Bueckers, and Olivia Miles have posted better efficiency numbers.
Key Analysis
There may still be room for growth from three-point range, as Clark shot 37.7% in college. Even without that improvement, she has cemented her status as one of the league's premier guards after a season plagued by groin and ankle injuries. Most critically, the Fever are winning. They hold the fifth-best record in the WNBA but sit just 1.5 games behind the second-place Las Vegas Aces. Indiana boasts the second-highest point differential in the league at +6, trailing only the Minnesota Lynx, and leads the WNBA in scoring at 95.8 points per game—four points more than the next highest team. At just 24 years old, Clark is already having a career year, and her trajectory suggests even greater achievements ahead.
Originally reported by sbnation.