Caitlin Clark is no stranger to having lofty expectations placed on her, whether they are unfair or not. Her talent lends itself to people believing in her and expecting a lot. As she did with the Iowa Hawkeyes, she will embrace those expectations.
Clark has already had a strong showing in two preseason games scoring 21 points in her first action and flirting with a triple-double in her second game. She has also had an immeasurable impact in changing the league’s trajectory in many ways off the court as well, such as helping teams getting chartered flights.
With her debut just a day away, that will be airing on ESPN2, ESPN+, and Disney+, expectations and excitement from basketball fans has reached a fever pitch that the WNBA has not seen before. ESPN is the latest bunch to pile on some expectations as Kevin Pelton, Alexa Philippou, and Michael Voepel have all picked her as their WNBA Rookie of the Year prediction.
Their predictions come as minimal surprise due to the talent oozing from Caitlin Clark and the flashes that she has already shown. Being part of a team full of WNBA talent, Clark is able to play without as much pressure of having to score, rebound, and make the assist each possession.
Caitlin Clark’s march to becoming the WNBA Rookie of the Year begins on Tuesday, May 14 on the road against the Connecticut Suns with tip off set for 6:30 p.m. CT.
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