nly nine games into her WNBA career, No. 1 pick and Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark appears worn down by the uptick in physical play moving from college to the pros.
“I feel like I’m getting hammered,” Clark said via Dominic Miranda of WTHR. “I just—I don’t know.”
During the Fever’s 103-88 loss to the Seattle Storm on Thursday, Clark felt she was on the wrong end of a few non-calls. The most egregious came late in the third quarter when she appeared to be fouled hard on a missed layup attempt, but no whistle came.
Clark clearly wasn’t happy, but aside from briefly brooding, she stayed quiet. Instead, head coach Christie Sides stepped up, earning a technical foul after giving officials an ear-full.
Afterward, Sides continued to back her star.
“Caitlin’s learning, she’s fighting,” Sides said via Matthew Byrne of Clutch Points. “The whole 40 minutes she’s in the game — on both ends — she’s getting beat up.”
Clark’s frustrations are understandable, but some may argue that she brings most of them on herself by wearing her emotions on her sleeve. The same type of attitude resulted in a technical foul on Thursday after getting in the face of Victoria Vivians of the Storm.
Meanwhile, Clark’s reaction to the extra physicality in the WNBA pales in comparison to that of other rookies, like Angel Reese of the Chicago Sky. After taking a hard foul from Connecticut Sun forward Alyssa Thomas recently, Reese responded by thanking the veteran before inviting others to step up next.
Through it all, Clark has shown her tenaciousness while pointing out that opponents “get away” with a lot. But, not 10 games into her pro career, whether or not she’s getting the calls she deserves is a significant talking point, while her play on the court should be at the forefront.
Clark’s presence hasn’t translated into many wins for the Fever, but the ex-Iowa star has impressed.
Through nine games, she’s averaging 17.6 points, 6.6 assists, 5.1 rebounds and 1.2 steals while shooting 37.7 percent from the field and 32 percent from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, on May 29 against the Los Angeles Sparks, Clark became the first WNBA rookie, and only the fourth player ever, to record at least 30 points, five assists, five rebounds, three steals and three blocks in a single game.
