Caitlin Clark breaking WNBA assists record as a rookie is latest sign of Fever star’s legendary potential
Caitlin Clark has just one year of professional basketball experience, but she’s well on her way toward building a Hall of Fame case.
After being named an All-American and Naismith Player of the Year at Iowa, Clark already meets the stringent requirements for eligibility. And from a statistical standpoint, she is on par with or better than most inductees at a similar age.
Here are the stats from Clark’s rookie year that show how she is destined for a Hall of Fame career.
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How Caitlin Clark’s stats compare to Hall of FamersCaitlin Clark is already scoring at a Hall of Fame levelClark’s 19.2 points per game as a 22-year-old rookie is in historically rare territory. Only three other WNBA players have ever averaged more than her — A’ja Wilson, Lauren Jackson and Seimone Augustus.
Jackson and Augustus are Hall of Famers, and Wilson is a lock to get in once she retires. The rest of the top young scorers in the league are either already in the Hall or will be in once they are eligible three years after retiring.
Not only is Clark right there in terms of scoring, but she’s one of the most efficient scorers at her age in the league’s history. Sabrina Ionescu is ahead of her by a tenth of a percentage point in terms of true shooting. None of the other top scorers have topped Clark’s proficiency.
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Caitlin Clark is one of the league’s great passersClark’s 8.5 assists per game have only been topped in WNBA history by one player: Courtney Vandersloot, who has eclipsed that mark four times. And even Vandersloot wasn’t nearly as prolific at Clark’s age, averaging just 3.7 dimes per game.
Clark already holds the record for most assists in a game, getting an astounding 19 vs. the Wings in July.
Caitlin Clark is in a category of her own 👏
With 19 assists in tonight’s game, Clark has set a new record for most AST in a single game in WNBA history
Previously, Courtney Vandersloot held the record with 18 AST in a game for the Chicago Sky vs. the Indiana Fever in 2020 pic.twitter.com/dUVzusSBTp
— WNBA (@WNBA) July 18, 2024Clark then broke the record for assists in a season as a rookie Friday and could very well have the all-time mark one day, set by Sue Bird. At Clark’s current pace, she would need to play 10 years in the league before she passes Bird, who is a mortal lock for the Hall of Fame.
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Caitlin Clark is a stat record machineNo rookie before Clark had ever recorded a triple-double. Clark has done it twice already, including once against the WNBA’s best team in the Liberty.
Caitlin Clark secures her 3rd straight Eastern Conference Player of the Week honors after averaging a double-double and recording her 2nd career triple-double 🔥
STATS: 25.0 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 10.0 APG #WelcometotheW pic.twitter.com/gTjJXF6cHm
— WNBA (@WNBA) September 10, 2024Triple-doubles are rare in the WNBA — it’s only happened 35 times during the regular season. Clark already finds herself with the fourth-most in WNBA history and with a good chance to pass Alyssa Thomas, who has 10 in her career, for the all-time record.
Clark has also broken numerous statistical records. She already has the most career games with 25 or more points and 10 or more assists, she is the second-best free throw shooter of all time by career percentage behind Elena Delle Donne and she has a chance to pass Ionescu for most 3-pointers ever made in a season.
That Clark is shattering all of these records as a rookie is nothing short of mind-blowing. She’s not even close to the best that she will be in her career, and she’s already performing similarly to Hall of Fame players during their primes.
The only thing preventing Clark from the Hall of Fame is longevity. If she plays for even a handful of seasons, then she will be a no-brainer Hall of Fame inductee.
