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Caitlin Clark's second season in the pros is officially underway. She's become the most popular female basketball player over the past couple of years, and she's just getting started.
Clark entered the league with unprecedented hype, and that didn't always rub people the right way. Nevertheless, she was unfazed and didn't seem to be too rattled.
That's why LA Lakers legend Nick Van Exel believes she gained everybody's respect in the basketball world. While it's normal to see veterans trying to make a point out of highly touted rookies, Van Exel was impressed with the way she handled the situation.
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"(They were) Beating her up during the season, which is normal," Van Exel said on Tuesday's edition of Nightcap. "You come in as a top player? Guess what, we finna show you. Welcome to our league. We know you're gonna be good, but we're gonna show you, take this with you. This is normal basketball." [7:27]
"And she handled it, she wasn't tripping. It was just the outside tripping. And that's why she gained so much respect from me."
The media, some fans, and some of her colleagues wanted to shift the narrative towards race. Even one team owner seemed against all the coverage and hype she was getting.
However, Clark has stayed unmoved by all the outside noise. She kept a low profile during the offseason to hit the gym and come back bulkier and stronger to handle the physicality in her second year.
Caitlin Clark is an early MVP candidate.
Caitlin Clark entered the season as one of the odds-on favorites to win WNBA MVP. That's an honor that's rarely reserved for such young and inexperienced players.
It's still way too early in the season, but Clark has picked up things where she left them in her rookie year. Through two games, she's averaged 23.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and a league-leading 10.5 assists per game.
Caitlin Clark's posting career highs all over the board, taking her turnovers per game from 5.6 down to 3.0, and adding 4.5 three-pointers per game on shooting splits of 45/47/80. She is also averaging 2.0 steals and 2.0 blocks per game.
So far, she's No. 5 in total points, No. 5 in total steals, and No. 1 in three-pointers, leading the Indiana Fever to a 1-1 record.
