Caitlin Clark makes good, bad WNBA history in win vs. Lynx

Caitlin Clark made WNBA history on Sunday in an 81-74 win against the Minnesota Lynx, but it isn’t something she’s likely to brag about. The Indiana Fever rookie guard surpassed the previous league record for most turnovers in a single season as she committed six miscues to reach 139 total on the year.

It wasn’t all bad for Clark, however, as she also ended up on the good side of history. Her six assists brought her total number for the season to 194, the most by a rookie since Sue Bird (191) accomplished the feat in 2000.

It seems an inevitability that Clark will eventually surpass the overall rookie assist record of 225, which was set by Ticha Penicheiro in 1998. With 15 games remaining, she would need a little more than two assists per game to get there.

Clark is averaging 7.8 assists per game compared to 7.5 per game for Penicheiro in her record-breaking season. She finished Sunday’s contest with 17 points — 10 of which came during a fourth-quarter comeback — three rebounds and two steals to go along with her six dimes.

The Fever guard is also putting up 5.5 turnovers per contest for an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.4. She’s seen her numbers slightly improve from month-to-month and it’s only a matter of time before she gets completely adjusted to the pro level.

The No. 1 pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, Caitlin Clark should know she isn’t the only highly touted rookie to end of up the wrong side of history. Peyton Manning also set the NFL rookie record for interceptions (28) after being taken No. 1 overall to the Indianapolis Colts in 1998.

Of course, Manning would go on to win two Super Bowls and five MVPs while ending his career as one of the top quarterbacks of all-time. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Clark make a similar adjustment given the impressive start for her thus far, including being named a WNBA All-Star.

The 6-foot guard is averaging 16.8 points, 7.8 assists and 5.9 rebounds per game this season and also became the first rookie in WNBA history to record a triple-double on July 6 against the New York Liberty.

Clark will look to continue to make her case for Rookie of the Year when the Fever play their next game against the Dallas Wings on Wednesday. Indiana currently ranks No. 7 in the WNBA standings with a record of 11-14.