22-year-old rookie among league leaders in minutes played

Many were shocked when Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark was absent from the U.S. women’s basketball team roster for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

And while many are still outraged that arguably the most popular professional women’s basketball player was kept from representing her country on the biggest sports stage of the year, The Athletic’s Ben Pickman argues that Clark’s Olympic snub may actually be a blessing in disguise because it gives her some much-needed rest.

“[Clark’s] 914 first-half minutes are the second most in the league this season, and she’s one of only three players to have played more than 850 minutes so far,” Pickman wrote. “All that comes on the back of a full college campaign with only 21 days between Iowa’s appearance in the national championship in April and the start of WNBA training camp later that month.”

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) rushes up the court Friday, July 12, 2024, during the game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) rushes up the court Friday, July 12, 2024, during the game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

Clark trails only Dallas Wings guard Arike Ogunbowale (923 minutes) in total minutes, and they’re the only two players to eclipse the 900-mintue mark.

In fact, Clark has played the most minutes per game of any WNBA rookie over the last two decades, and when factoring in the 1,357 minutes Clark played during her senior season at Iowa, she’s logged a total of 2,272 minutes over the last season-and-a-half with just a three-week break in between.

Clark already leads the WNBA in rebounding (8.2 per game), and she ranks fifth in made 3-pointers per game (2.7), sixth in free-throw percentage (89.1) and is tied for ninth in steals (1.5 per game) and 11th in scoring (17.1 points per game).

The bad news for the rest of the WNBA: they get to face a well-rested Clark down the stretch run with the Fever champing at the bit to snap a seven-year playoff drought.