Caitlin Clark. Mandatory Credit: Mark Smith-Imagn Images
2024 has been a standout year for women’s basketball, and Caitlin Clark has been at the heart of it from the beginning. The Indiana Fever star’s rapid rise and stellar rookie season performances have already made her the talk of the town. This success also prompted former NBA star, Rashad McCants, to rank her as the fourth-best player in the WNBA.
His comments were rooted in the WNBA’s latest MVP voting results. It saw Clark finishing fourth at the end of her rookie campaign. She received 6 third-place, 26 fourth-place, and 22 fifth-place votes to reach this milestone.
Clark’s accomplishment filled McCants with pride. The 39-year-old took to X to praise the Iowa native. He also pointed to the rarity of her feat, stating,
“4th best player in the league as a rookie ain’t bad at all!!! That’s without the Olympics and a 0-5 start. We just getting started!!!”
4th best player in the league as a rookie ain’t bad at all!!! That’s without the Olympics and a 0-5 start. We just getting started!!! https://t.co/XUbPBHDMSa
— Rashad McCants (@SoundbiteKing)
September 22, 2024
His high praise was justified. For context, Clark concluded her rookie regular season with the most points (769), assists (337), and three-point field goals made (122) ever recorded by a WNBA rookie. Additionally, these numbers made her the season’s top assist provider, the highest three-point shooter, and the fifth-highest scorer overall. This helped her secure the 2024 Rookie of the Year award.
These achievements have also paid off McCants’ faith in Clark and undoubtedly fueled his excitement. After all, he has been a strong advocate for the 22-year-old, and recently expressed his desire to work with her, tweeting, “@CaitlinClark22 is just too good! I’d love to work with her one day!!!”
@CaitlinClark22 is just too good! I’d love to work with her one day!!! 🏆🏆🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥— Rashad McCants (@SoundbiteKing) September 15, 2024
What’s even crazier is that she is just getting started. It’s safe to assume that her current gameplay is far from the final iteration. So, fans can expect drastic improvements in the coming seasons.
What did Clark say about her achievement?
While McCants and her supporters are celebrating her impressive season, Clark has chosen to focus on the bigger picture. She remains committed to helping the Fever secure their first playoff series win since 2015. She said,
“I mean, it’s cool, but I don’t really care. My life is pretty unaffected by that.
I’m just going to go out there and help my team, and honestly, our goal was to get to the playoffs. I have a belief that we can come in here and win this series, one game at a time. So I think that’s where my focus is.”
Unfortunately, the start has been subpar. They lost to the Connecticut Sun 69-93 in Round 1 of the playoffs. Clark also visibly struggled to handle the postseason pressure. However, there’s still time to change their fate, and that’s precisely what she is aiming for this coming Wednesday.
