Sports history is littered with No. 1 draft picks who fizzled in the pros.
Notable examples include Ryan Leaf (NFL), LaRue Martin (NBA), Mark Appel (MLB), and Alexander Daigle (NHL).
Will college superstar Caitlin Clark be the latest? So far, she’s off to a slow start, doing little better than run-of-mill rookies (see story here). A basket-shooter nonpareil, she struggled against WNB defenses in her first two pro games.
Though Clark is no shorty at 6’0″, veteran player Breanna Taylor, formerly at Seattle now with New York, is 4 inches taller, and “shut down” Clark in her Indianapolis home debut (see story here). Of course, shooting baskets isn’t Clark’s only value to her team; drawing off opponents’ best defenders gives her teammates more scoring opportunities.
Adjusting to the pros takes time. Two games isn’t a career. She still has plenty of time to hit her stride.