WNBA and Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark is playing unreal basketball to back up the LeBron James esque hype she came with.
Caitlin Clark’s performances for Indiana Fever in debut WNBA season similar to LeBron James’ rookie year
The WNBA has never seen this level of attention before in its history. The tremendous growth in fan following is not only coming from superstardom but also from entertaining basketball. Something that Caitlin Clark and her Indiana Fever have been providing in every single game. If anything, this rookie season is showing a similarity to how a certain LeBron James‘ debut season was.
“The kind of hype that LeBron came into the NBA with, Caitlin Clark came into the WNBA with the same kind of hype, and she backed it up.”
—@shannonsharpe on Caitlin Clark’s rookie season. pic.twitter.com/oAwjUTu9Ar
— First Take (@FirstTake) September 2, 2024
Shannon Sharpe, the NFL Hall of Famer, was on First Take to discuss the recent performances of the WNBA rookie. While giving his analogy, he explained:
We talk about the player that's currently playing. That's not to say that there were women who built the league, we are not trying to dismiss them. The kind of hype that LeBron came into the NBA with, Caitlin Clark came into the WNBA with the same kind of hype, and she's backed it up.Shannon Sharpe on Fist Take
Sharpe was alluding to the fact that the hype that Caitlin Clark has brought in, has been justified. It is not like she was a flash in the pan. Rather, her performances are proving otherwise.
In the opening run of games, the Indiana Fever endured five consecutive losses on their way to a 1-8 record. That can demoralize a team, let alone a rookie. Since then, they won a stretch of games to improve to 8-12 up until their 20th game of the season.
Since then, they are 9-4 and have not just won them against bottom-feeder teams. Instead, their giant-killing spree has seen them down some of the best teams in the league. All on the back of Caitlin Clark’s incredible improvement in efficiency, playmaking, and scoring. That is the LeBron James-esque hype coming to fruition.
Caitlin Clark and her Fever have a favorable finishing schedule
The WNBA was criticized for handing Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever the toughest opening schedule of any team in the league. But the silver lining from that tough stretch is showing up in the league right now. Everyone is seeing how Clark has managed to adjust her game to make her teammates better, and eventually win.
Now they have a stretch of six home games, which no other team can boast about. In three of those games, they will be the favorites. The remaining three are the ones fans will wait to watch. The most important matches are the ones against the Las Vegas Aces.
With both at home, and the Aces having a mid-season slump, the Fever can sniff out a win. Even one win against will be enough to make an impact on the final standings. Win both, and Caitlin Clark and her teammates can look to a higher seeding and potentially face a team they can beat in the 1st round.