Caitlin Clark sat down with ESPN’s Malika Andrews and did something you don’t see every day from a superstar. She rated her own career so far. And she wasn’t exactly bragging.
On a scale of one to 10, with one being still figuring things out and 10 being at her absolute peak, Clark gave herself a six. That’s honest. It’s also a little terrifying for the rest of the league.
Here’s the thing about Clark’s self-assessment. She’s not being modest for the sake of it. She’s being real. The Indiana Fever guard has only played 60 games in the WNBA. Only two of those were playoff games. She missed three-quarters of last season with an injury. So when she says she’s still finding her footing, she means it.
“I’ve only played 60 games in this league, and I’ve played two playoff games,” Clark said. “To a lot of people, probably feels like I’ve played a lot more, and to me, it maybe feels like I’ve played a lot more at times. Obviously, I missed three-fourths of the season last year, so I feel like I worked so hard to kind of get back for USA basketball, kind of find my feet again.”
Clark is 24. She’ll be 25 in January. Most players her age are still figuring out what kind of pro they want to be. Clark is already averaging 20.8 points, 8.2 assists and 4.4 rebounds per game this season. She’s shooting 40.7 percent from the field and 32.7 percent from deep. Those are All-Star numbers. And she thinks she’s a six.
Andrews followed up with the obvious question. If you’re only a six right now, is that scary for the rest of the WNBA? Clark’s response was almost casual.
“I guess, we’ll have to see,” she said.
That’s not trash talk. It’s not a guarantee. It’s just Clark being honest about where she is and where she’s going. She said she still has “so much room to improve” and that she wants to learn. She’s not satisfied. That’s the part that should make opponents nervous.
A slow start? Not really
The Fever are 9-6 heading into Saturday’s game against the Atlanta Dream. That’s not bad for a team that was in full rebuild mode not long ago. Clark is the engine. And she’s doing all this while essentially still learning how to be a pro.
Injuries cost her time. Recovery cost her rhythm. But she’s back now and she’s putting up numbers that would be impressive for a 10-year veteran. If she’s really only at 60 percent of her potential, the ceiling is somewhere way above where we’re looking right now.
“At the same time, I’m only 24, like I still feel like I have so much room to improve, and I know that, and I want to get better, and I want to learn,” Clark said.
A lot of players say that. Most of them don’t mean it the way Clark does. She’s not just going through the motions. She’s working her way back from an injury that could have derailed her second season. Instead, she’s putting together an MVP-caliber campaign while rating herself a mere six out of 10.
If that doesn’t scare the rest of the WNBA, nothing will.
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