'I'm just scratching the surface': Grading Caitlin Clark's rookie year

It was only fitting that Caitlin Clark's historic rookie campaign ended with yet another WNBA record.

The No. 1 overall pick in this year's draft became the first rookie in league history to tally at least 25 points, five boards, and five assists in a playoff game during the Indiana Fever's season-ending loss to the Connecticut Sun.

With Clark's maiden campaign in the books, let's assess her year from all angles.

Offense

Clark's come a long way from the player who looked shell-shocked as she turned the rock over 10 times on opening night. The Iowa product had to get accustomed to the increased physicality and athleticism of the WNBA. Meanwhile, her teammates also needed time to adjust to Clark's unique passing style and learn how to properly position themselves whenever the first-year guard got blitzed.

Since Indiana's 1-8 start to the campaign, the team owned the league's second-best offensive rating, with Clark pulling all of the strings. The Fever floor general set a single-game record for assists (19) and established a new regular-season mark with 337 dimes. Clark developed great pick-and-roll chemistry with Aliyah Boston, consistently found Kelsey Mitchell on hit-ahead passes in transition, and found open shooters when double-teamed or probing the paint.

Clark's shooting efficiency wasn't quite where it was in college, but her unlimited range remained an asset at the next level. The 22-year-old drained a league-leading 122 triples, often creating separation from defenders on step-backs and using her quick release when coming off pin-down screens. The threat of Clark's jumper gave her opportunities to attack off the bounce. Clark's 210 points in the paint were tied for ninth among guards. She made 61.7% of her attempts at the rim and began incorporating a floater into her game as the season progressed.

Defense

While Clark averaged 1.3 steals during her rookie year, she wasn't a defensive stopper by any means. It was never an emphasis at Iowa, where the two-time Wooden Award winner was tasked with running the Hawkeyes' up-tempo offense. For that reason, defense was always going to be a learning curve for Clark whenever she made the jump to the pros.

Clark certainly had her moments on the defensive end. She used her quick hands to generate turnovers, showed great anticipation periodically when defending the point of attack, and provided some timely help defense. Skylar Diggins-Smith and Allisha Gray were the only guards to block more shots than Clark this season.

With that being said, Clark's lapses in focus were evident and couldn't be hidden on the WNBA's second-worst defensive unit. During a late sequence in Game 1 versus the Sun, Clark had her hands down as she slowly closed out too late on Veronica Burton's 3-point attempt. That triple didn't have any effect on the final outcome of Game 1, but a similar miscue down the stretch in Game 2 virtually ended the Fever's season. With under a minute to go in regulation, Clark lost sight of Connecticut sharpshooter Marina Mabrey, who promptly buried an uncontested dagger three.

Indiana won't solidify itself as a true title contender without Clark's best effort at both ends of the floor.

Team success

Indiana has to be thrilled with what it accomplished in 2024, especially with all the growing pains it encountered early on. With Clark leading the way, the club found an offensive identity shaped around its franchise cornerstone's strengths and clinched its first postseason berth in eight years. Its 20 wins this season exceeded the Fever's victory total from the previous two years combined. A playoff series win over the Sun would've been gravy.

"The fun part is I feel like I'm just scratching the surface, and I'm one that's nitpicking every single thing I do," Clark said Wednesday following the Fever's season-ending defeat, according to ESPN's Andrea Adelson. "I know I want to help this franchise get even better, help my teammates get even better, and I know there's a lot of room for me to continue to improve.

"So that's what excites me the most. I feel like I could continue to get a lot better, and before we know it, I'm sure we'll all be back here and ready for the next year."

The future is bright with Clark and Boston both under contract for at least two more seasons. However, there's no guarantee Mitchell will be part of the big picture as the two-time All-Star guard is an unrestricted free agent this offseason. The looming expansion draft could throw a wrench in the Fever's plans as well. Regardless of what transpires over the winter, it's clear Indiana has a transcendent star on its hands.

Grade: A