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To nobody’s surprise, the Indiana Fever selected the most popular women’s basketball player in the country with the No. 1 pick in Monday night’s 2024 WNBA Draft, Iowa’s Caitlin Clark.
Indiana got lucky last year with Aliyah Boston and they got lucky again, earning a shot at picking the back-to-back Naismith College Player of the Year. Now, lets see if they’ll be able to build a winning franchise.
Indiana is ready for the Caitlin Clark Effect
In a media call preceding the draft, nobody was taking into account any other possibility: Caitlin Clark had to be the first overall pick of the draft. ESPN analyst Rebecca Lobo was talking about the selection as if it was a done deal:
We haven’t seen a player drive the ticket sales like this. Drive the ratings like this. She’s staying in the Midwest, going to Indiana, it’s such a perfect fit. The hero of the heartland is going to be staying there.
And who could doubt her? Even if Clark’s impact on the court is limited, as she’ll need some time to adjust to playing against physically tougher, more experienced opponents, Clark’s rookie year will be one of the most dominant narratives of the upcoming season. The response to her arrival in Indiana already has been overwhelming. According to StubHub spokesperson Adam Budelli:
Caitlin Clark is already having a huge impact on the WNBA after capping off a historic collegiate career in which her impact on the sport’s demand is undeniable. Overall sales for the Fever, since announcing she’d be entering the draft, increased more than 13x on StubHub compared to the 2023 season start, while website searches jumped 15x compared to the day prior to her announcement.
And that’s not all. Kevin Burke of Extension PR notes:
New data from PSA, the top grader of sports trading cards, saw Clark’s total graded cards increase by more than 12,000 percent since her first cards were released last year in May 2023.
So the Fever will love to have Clark. Any team would. But there’s something about Indiana that makes it the perfect spot for Clark.
Why Clark should love playing in Indiana
Aaliyah Boston, Kelsey Mitchell and NaLyssa Smith will allow Clark to showcase her playmaking ability and passing, which, during the aforementioned call, Lobo described as “next level.” Imagine what the three young stars will do with these dimes.
Fever head coach Christie Sides already has made plans for Clark, saying:
Caitlin is one of the most naturally gifted basketball players I have ever seen enter the WNBA from the college level. Her shooting and passing abilities captivated an entire audience of basketball fans, and her ability to make those around her better was even more evident during her collegiate career. We can’t wait to bring her to Indiana and incorporate her into our locker room with a group ready to get back to the postseason.
The Fever are also a perfect place for Clark because of the presence of Erica Wheeler. The 32-year-old point guard not only is a veteran presence, but she’s also a role model to look up to because what she had to overcome in her life and career. Wheeler lost her mother while still in college, went undrafted and had to scrap for her place in the W. For seven years, she’s been a starter in the league and in 2019 she was the All-Star Game MVP. I’m not saying that Caitlin Clark needs additional motivation to continue working on her game, but if she wants it, it’ll be there.
Furthermore, Indiana isn’t a basketball powerhouse, at least not yet. The fanbase should not demand that Clark exceed extremely high expectations as a 22-year-old. Yes, she proved numerous times that she can handle pressure. But playing in a place that will give you time to grow and permission to make mistakes is priceless for any rookie—even one as talented as Clark.