She’s got a long way to go before she catches Russell Westbrook (199), Oscar Robertson (181) or Magic Johnson (138) in the triple-double department, but Caitlin Clark got one step closer to locking up the Rookie of the Year award in the WNBA with her second career triple-double in the pros. And maybe, just maybe, MVP as well.
In the Indiana Fever’s 93-86 win over the Los Angeles Sparks on Wednesday night, Clark went for 24 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds, with her 10th board coming with just seconds remaining on the clock.
The first WNBA rookie to record a triple-double, Clark became just the fifth player in league history to lock up multiple triple-doubles in a season, joining Alyssa Thomas, Courtney Williams, Sabrina Ionescu and Candace Parker. (Clark had 17 triple-doubles in her college career, all wins for Iowa.)
While putting together her triple-double, Clark, who got some support from Charles Barkley yesterday, knocked down her 100th 3-pointer of the year and became the fastest player in WNBA history to reach 100 triples in a season. Clark’s 100th long-range bomb came in the third quarter and she added two more to finish 4-of-10 from deep with 102 on the season overall.
With the Fever riding a five-game winning streak and already a lock for Indiana’s first postseason berth since 2016, Clark is playing her best ball of the season when it matters most and is making her bid to win an award stronger every time she steps on the court.
“Every game she gets a little better,” said Fever coach Christie Sides, who was named WNBA Coach of the Month on Wednesday. “Every game she gets a little bit [more] understanding of the speed and the quickness. I love the conversations with her about the game. She’s playing really well…She had some amazing assists tonight.”
Will ROY and MVP voters feel the same? If LeBron James had a vote, Clark would get it.
Clark would get Stephen A. Smith’s vote too as the popular ESPN host stumped for her during a rant on First Take.
“Caitlin Clark is gonna win Rookie of the Year,” he said. “Caitlin Clark is in the conversation — she ain’t gonna win it because A’ja Wilson is there. But Caitlin Clark is in the conversation for league MVP. I don’t know if you already know that, but she’s in the conversation — league MVP as a rookie.”
Considering what Clark has already accomplished as a rookie, maybe MVP really is a possibility for the 22-year-old phenom.
