Caitlin Clark admits where she is weak in the WNBA and why she needs to improve

Caitlin Clark speaks about adjusting to the WNBA, spacing, fitting in and being herself. WNBA teams have started making moves to capitalize on the popularity of Caitlin Clark.

Some are booking bigger venues for when Clark and the Indiana Fever come to town. The Las Vegas Aces and Washington Mystics have moved their games against the Fever to bigger arenas. The numbers Clark generated in college indicates it’s a smart move.

Caitlin Clark: “I’ll have to get stronger”

“I think the physicality is probably going to be one of the biggest things for myself. Like, it reminds me of the international game in a way.

The international game is very, very physical. Obviously, the college game, it was physical to an extent, but the people I’m going to be playing in this league are full-grown, very strong women.

You’re going to get hit. You’re going to get bumped. People are going to defend you hard when you’re driving the ball to court. And I think just getting used to that physicality of the game will probably be one of the biggest things for myself to overcome is just mentally, but also physically is like, I’ll have to get stronger.

Obviously that’s hard to do coming from college to like starting a whole another season. There’s only so much you can do in the weight room. But, I think as my career kind of unfolds, you know, just getting physically stronger and, you know, being able to hold my own.”

“It will definitely be an adjustment, but, you know, it is what it is. I think the CBA is up for renegotiation after the season, we can opt out of it, and certainly the new media rights deal will have a big impact on that too.

So, at this point of my career, and across the WNBA, it is what it is. I’m sure certainly everybody would say they would love to be flying charter all the time.

It would definitely help a lot of problems, but I think the Fever organization has done a really good job of getting out ahead of things; there’s gonna be a lot of security traveling with us. It’s not like we’re the odd man out here.

Everybody has to navigate it. And I think it’s gonna, you know, cause some problems, maybe, because the popularity of our league is continuing to grow.

Having to navigate travel with that, but at the same time, as you know, that’s a positive thing; you want people to be excited about our game. So, hopefully it changes in the near future, but for now, it’s just what it is.”

Caitlin Clark shines in her WNBA debut, a preseason sellout

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) drives past Dallas Wings forward Natasha Howard (6) during their WNBA basketball game in Arlington, Texas, on Friday.

Caitlin Clark made her WNBA debut with the Indiana Fever on Friday night — and her “effect” showed no signs of waning.

The preseason game against the Dallas Wings was another sellout match with enthusiastic fans lining up outside College Park Center in Arlington, Texas, to watch the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer play in her first professional game.

“My biggest goal coming into tonight was being myself, have fun playing basketball, be aggressive. Thought that’s what I did,” Clark said Friday in a post-game press conference.

Similar to her time at the University of Iowa, Clark shined Friday on the court — scoring 21 points with three rebounds, two assists, two steals, despite it being a losing match. The Wings won 79-76.

Fever head coach Christie Sides applauded Clark’s performance but noted that the rookie star and the rest of the team were still in an adjustment period.

“We’re still learning each other,” Sides said Friday at the press conference.

Sides noted that in the first quarter, Clark appeared fatigued. The head coach said she hopes Clark will lean on her teammates in the future.

Clark was asked what the biggest difference was between professional and college basketball.

“Everybody’s super physical, it doesn’t always get called. I would say that’s the biggest thing,” she said.

Clark’s debut in a regular-season game will be against the Connecticut Sun on May 14.

“It’s a big milestone for somebody that’s always dreamed of playing in the WNBA,” Clark said.