The Indiana Fever have started 0-5 in Caitlin Clark’s rookie year, but ESPN analyst Andraya Carter is not sounding the alarm bells.
The Indiana Fever have started 0-5 in Caitlin Clark’s rookie year, but ESPN analyst Andraya Carter is not sounding the alarm bells.
Carter spoke to The Post in a phone interview Thursday about Clark’s trajectory in the WNBA — what has gone well and what could be improved upon — and whether opponents have been singling her out with extra physicality due to how much attention she has garnered coming into the league.
“I think Caitlin is doing a phenomenal job. She came into the league with so much pressure — like, literal pressure from the defense, which are dedicated to stopping her — and eyes on her,” Carter began.
“In all games but her first one, she’s had at least five assists, so I’ve been really impressed by her ability to find her teammates. Her ability to read the defense and put the ball where it needs to be is only going to get better.”
The Fever lost their season opener against the Sun in a 92-71 blowout, but were in it until the final minute earlier this week in an 88-84 final.
“Obviously the turnovers are alarming at first when you look at the numbers, but the improvement that she made from the first time against the Connecticut Sun to the rematch was remarkable,” Carter said.
“She faced one of the top defenses — if not the top defense — in the WNBA in two of her first four games. It’s a really hard sample size to judge off of because four of her first five games were against the Sun and Liberty, two of the best franchises in the league.”
Clark is averaging 17.8 points, 5.8 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game.
Carter said she is “hanging my hat” on Clark’s “improvement, her connection to teammates, her ability to get back up when she gets knocked down and her ability to literally get back on the court when she was injured and rolled her ankle against the Sun.
