Caitlin Clark’s WNBA regular season debut was a mixed bag.
The No. 1 overall pick scored a team-high 20 points and hit a respectable 4-of-11 three-pointers but also committed 10 turnovers in the Indiana Fever’s 92-71 loss to the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday night.
At times, Clark seemed to struggle with the speed and physicality of her new level, though she settled down in the second half. Still, it wasn’t the dominant performance expected from the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer.
Basketball YouTuber T.J. Keasal stirred up controversy after the game by calling out the “Caitlin Clark cult” on X/Twitter.
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“Caitlin Clark cult, this is WHY we said hey, the W is different, the defenders are different,” Keasal wrote. “The game is different, the competition is the best, they’re all fast, they’re all stronger. Sheryl was right. She’s going to have to stay in control, facilitate, not chuck shots.”
Keasal continued, “The people in the comments saying it’s the first game: newsflash….we all wanted her to be able to adjust like every other rookie has to but you swore she would come in and embarrass seasoned players. Who can clock your offensive patterns because it’s their job.”
Keasal was referring to the backlash players like Diana Taurasi received when they said Clark would need time to adjust to the pro game. As Clark faced those challenges on Tuesday, some fans took to social media to praise Taurasi and say she was right all along.
After the game, Clark said she would use her inconsistent debut as a learning experience.
“I’m disappointed, and nobody likes to lose, but I don’t think you can beat yourself up too much about one game,” Clark said. “I don’t think that’s going to help this team. Just learn from it and move on.”
Clark will make her home debut tomorrow night.
