Caitlin Clark narrative shift will hurt next crop of young talent

The Indiana Fever snapped the WNBA’s longest playoff drought because of Caitlin Clark. The 22-year-old rookie was elite. She broke the record for assists in a season and was the primary creator of a top-three offense in the W. Clark instantly became a superstar and made first-team All-WNBA as a rookie.

The Fever’s superstar is special. She was the first rookie to make the All-WNBA first team since 2008, and Clark finished fourth in MVP voting. Some first-round picks barely played this season and others remained overseas. Clark dominated the Rookie of the Year race and proved she is already one of the league’s best.

Her immediate success is already changing the narrative that young talent needs time to develop. There is already significant hype about the 2025 WNBA Draft class and some of the best players in the NCAA, but everyone needs to slow the hype train down.

Caitlin Clark is the exception in rookie success

Look no further than the Fever’s roster. Aliyah Boston was the first overall pick in 2023. She was an All-Star as a rookie, but the Fever won just 13 games and missed the playoffs. Kelsey Mitchell was the second overall pick in 2018 and did not have a winning season until her seventh year. NaLyssa Smith was the number two pick in 2022 and has never been an All-Star.

Paige Bueckers and JuJu Watkins already have a ton of hype. Both are exceptional talents, and Charles Barkley even believes Watkins will be dominating the W with Clark.

“Caitlin is a supernova, and JuJu is probably a better player. Those two women going to be running the WNBA for the next ten, 12, 14, 15, 20 years basically.”

That is a ton of pressure to put on a 19-year-old with just one college season under her belt. Watkins won’t even be in the WNBA until 2027, but everyone is expecting instant greatness.

Kelsey Plum was the NCAA’s all-time scoring leader before Clark broke the record. She came into the W with a ton of hype but struggled in her first three seasons before tearing her Achilles. It was not until five years after she was drafted that Plum made an All-Star team and was mentioned in the conversation of best players in the W.

Growth is not linear and adjustments take some players more time than others. Clark is special. She struggled early in the season but quickly became one of the best offensive engines in the world. It is not fair to place that expectation on other young talents.

Bueckers and Watkins have the potential to be elite but give them time to develop into superstars. It should not be forced on them before stepping on a WNBA court.

It was a historic season for Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever. The boost in popularity was a long time coming, and there will be more pressure than ever on the next crop of talent. Who steps up and shines? Stay tuned to find out.