By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark capped off her Women’s National Basketball Association’s (WNBA) debut with a Rookie of the Year award announced on September 28, 2024.
One of the biggest hyped rookies to ever enter the WNBA proved that she is more than just a sensation on paper and lived up to the expectations of the Indiana franchise that drafted her first overall during the 2024 Draft.
After a series of disappointing campaigns, Indiana finally halted its post-season drought, all thanks to Clark’s emergence midway through the season who overcame a shaky start.
As soon as she shook off the rookie jitters, Clark quickly elevated her game and took the WNBA by storm, averaging 19.2 points, 8.4 assists, and 5.7 rebounds per game.
Despite being a rookie, Clark already made noise after leading the league in assists and finished the regular season as the seventh-best scorer.
Her Rookie of the Year campaign received a huge boost after becoming the first rookie in the WNBA to tally a triple-double stat line.
Clark achieved the feat last July during Indiana’s come-from-behind win over the New York Liberty and wrapped up the victory with 19 points, 13 assists, 12 rebounds, and two steals.
Her historic rookie season didn’t end there as she also reset the new WNBA single-game assist record against the Dallas Wings.
Clark’s court vision was extraordinary when she dished out 19 assists, surpassing Courtney Vandersloot’s four-year record after she tallied out 18 dimes for the Chicago Sky last 2020 WNBA season.
However, Clark’s post-season was shadowed by a sweeping series loss at the hands of the Connecticut Sun in the first round of the playoffs.
In those two games, Clark averaged 18 points, 8.5 assists, five rebounds, and two steals, which is still an impressive stat sheet for a rookie.
