The Indiana Fever are off to an 0-5 start in head coach Caitlin Clark’s rookie year, but ESPN analyst Andraya Carter isn’t sounding any alarm bells.
Carter spoke with The Washington Post in a phone interview Thursday about Clark’s trajectory in the WNBA, what went well and what she could improve on, and whether opponents have been particularly physical in their attacks because of Clark’s attention since coming into the league.
“I think Kaitlyn’s done a great job. She came into the league with a lot of pressure, literally pressure from defenders doing everything they can to stop her and eyes on her,” Carter said.
“In every game except the first, she has recorded at least five assists. I’ve been really impressed with her ability to find her teammates. Her ability to read the defense and throw the ball where it needs to be will only get better in the future.”
The Fever suffered a 92-71 defeat to the Sun in their season opener but came back to win the championship game earlier this week, 88-84, down to the final minute.
“If you just look at the numbers, turnovers are obviously a concern, but her improvement from the first matchup against the Connecticut Sun to the rematch has been remarkable,” Carter said.
“In two of her first four games, she faced some of the best defenses in the WNBA, if not the best. Four of her first five games were against the Sun and Liberty, two of the best franchises in the league, so it’s hard to judge based on sample size alone.”
Clark is averaging 17.8 points, 5.8 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game.
Carter said he “believes in” Clark’s “development, his connection with his teammates, his ability to get up after being knocked down and literally get back on the court after twisting his ankle in the game against the Suns.”
“Her resilience, her fighting spirit, her competitive spirit. She wants to be out there and she wants to win,” Carter said.
“She could have gone in with the attitude, ‘No one expects us to win, we’re not a talented team from top to bottom, and I’m preparing for the future,’ but it seems like she wants to win right now. She’s frustrated that it hasn’t happened, but that’s OK. That competitive spirit is what’s going to make this team successful.”
Carter, 30, starred at Tennessee from 2013-2015 before injuries forced him to retire from basketball.
She has risen to prominence at ESPN in recent years, earning acclaim in March as the network’s in-studio commentator for the women’s NCAA tournament.
Clark was frustrated during Monday’s close loss to the Sun when he yelled at the referee and was called for a technical foul.
This in itself wasn’t a problem for Carter.
“That happens to a lot of guys. They get hot, they get a technical foul. I wouldn’t even say it’s a rookie mistake. It’s a mistake.” Veterans “Make it,” Carter said.
“For me, her resilience, her growth when she saw the team for the second time, her fighting spirit and the way her teammates surrounded her, I think that’s going to be a big part of Kaitlyn’s development going forward.”
As for the tenacity Clark receives from opposing defenders, there were times when he was broken through by screens.
Carter believed that Clark’s opponents weren’t just targeting her to attack her, but that this was the reality of ultra-physical play in the WNBA.
“I guess that’s the WNBA, honestly,” Carter said, noting the recent hard-fought games between the Sparks and Aces and Aces and Mercury.
“In this league, it’s always a physical battle. You check each other, you hit each other. The Sparks vs. Aces game is very Physical. Checking with screens, hitting with screens. If you think about it, there are only 12 teams in the league, so there comes a time when the teams compete fiercely with each other. If you watch the teams over and over, that’s just how it is.
“With Kaitlyn, there’s a lot of eyes on her because she’s in a higher spotlight than usual. But the screen that Breanna Stewart put on her, she didn’t lean in, she didn’t shift, she didn’t put her arms out. It was literally just a screen. The speed at which you run into the screen also plays a part in how quickly it affects you. If her teammates don’t alert her and she doesn’t see the screen coming because she hasn’t turned her head, she’s going to get hit really hard.”
Carter thought this was another area where Clark could improve with more professional experience.
“When you play in the league long enough, you learn how to avoid screens, and when you play on a team long enough, there’s a level of communication and chemistry to be able to avoid screens and stop guys coming,” Carter said.
“to me [backlash to Stewart’s screen on Clark] These are people who create something out of nothing. I don’t think anyone went out of their way to bash Caitlin.
“Do I think everyone is doing everything they can to protect Kaitlyn? Yeah, but I think they’re being more physical with her than they are with other players. I think this league is just so physical.”
