Caitlin Clark’s first professional season has been spectacular. The Indiana Fever’s guard has broken several records, including most assists in a single season. Among the legends that have praised Clark, Fever legend and Hall of Famer Tamika Catchings didn’t hesitate to call her “the best passer in the league.”
Speaking with sports writer Bob Kravitz, Catchings, who spent her 15 seasons with the Fever and won the franchise’s only championship, said she was impressed by Clark’s passing abilities and court vision, especially.
“She was making passes here that she made at Iowa, except her Iowa teammates were already adjusted to the way she plays,” Catchings said. “A lot of times, our players weren’t expecting those passes. But like everything, time and practice helped everybody get on the same page. Now, they’re expecting those passes.”
“Her court vision is the biggest thing, being able to deliver the ball, knowing who needs the ball and when; a lot of point guards miss that. But now you see Aliyah [Boston] and Kelsey [Mitchell] getting their touches, that’s just Caitlin seeing the floor, seeing the game and things before they happen, disbursing the ball at the right times to the right people,” she explained.
Precisely, Clark broke the league’s record for most assists in a single season (317), as well as breaking the record of most assists by a rookie (surpassing Ticha Penicheiro’s 225 in 1998). She also broke the WNBA record for most assists in a single game (19).
Clark led the Indiana Fever to the WNBA Playoffs
The Fever enter the postseason as the sixth seed in the WNBA standings, meaning they’ll begin their first-round playoff series on the road for the first two games. It’s the first time they qualify for the playoffs since 2016, and they only have clinched the title in 2012, with Catchings being named the Finals MVP.
They are likely to face the third-seeded Connecticut Sun in a best-of-three series, though the second-seeded Minnesota Lynx remain a potential opponent. This season, the Fever hold a 1-3 record against the Sun and are 1-2 against the Lynx.