Clark catches up to star power

Pushing league into another stratosphere, rookie now leads it in assists too

- DAVE FESCHUK

Caitlin Clark was named the WNBA player of the week on Wednesday after averaging 25.3 points, five rebounds and 9.5 assists while leading the Fever to a 2-0 post-Olympics record.

In Caitlin Clark’s first game in the WNBA, she coughed up 10 turnovers. In her second, she clanked six of the seven three-pointers she attempted. In her opening nine games, she and the woeful Indiana Fever managed precisely one win. And even in that victory, Clark went 4-for-14 from the field.

But forget all that. That was the worn-out, fresh-from-college version of the WNBA’s No. 1 draft pick. Now a few months removed from the depths of that early-season struggle, and after most of a month off during the WNBA’s Olympic break — this after enduring the much-talked-about snub of being left off the U.S. Olympic roster — the WNBA’s most popular player is suddenly looking like one of its best. On Wednesday Clark was named the Associated Press’s WNBA player of the week, this after averaging 25.3 points, five rebounds and 9.5 assists while leading the Fever to a 2-0 post-Olympics record. She’s leading the league in assists per game for the season. Her team is tops in the league in home attendance.