CLEVELAND, OHIO - APRIL 07: Caitlin Clark #22 of the Iowa Hawkeyes looks on in the second half during the 2024 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament National Championship game against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on April 07, 2024 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

According to Diana Taurasi, as shared during an interview with Scott Van Pelt on SportsCenter, Caitlin Clark is about to face reality in the WNBA. Despite her stellar performance in college basketball over the past four years, Clark will now begin her journey as one of the youngest players in the highly competitive WNBA. It’s improbable that she will immediately dominate the league as she did at Iowa, but her future trajectory remains to be seen.

Clark is no stranger to hype; she’s accustomed to handling pressure and rising to the occasion. A top-five recruit out of high school, she went on to become the leading scorer in college basketball history. Setting her sights high as a freshman, she vowed to lead Iowa back to the Final Four for the first time since 1993 — and she delivered, achieving it twice. Throughout the 2024 NCAA Tournament, with the spotlight on her, Clark continued to excel, breaking viewership records along the way.

Having been the focal point before, the only notable change now, as Clark gears up to be the No. 1 pick for the Indiana Fever, is that her opponents will have the opportunity to challenge her on the court.

“It’s a different game, there’s an adjustment period, there’s a period of grace that you have to give rookies when they get to the league,” Taurasi said at USA Basketball training camp in Cleveland. “We’ve had some of the greats to ever play basketball, and it takes two or three years to get used to a different game (against) the best players in the world.”

In the WNBA, Clark will face a notable adjustment in the physicality and strength of her opponents. This was evident in her struggles against West Virginia during the NCAA Tournament, where aggressive ball pressure led to her posting her lowest assist-to-turnover ratio of the season (3 to 6). During the Final Four, UConn’s Nika Mühl stifled Clark, applying full-court pressure and limiting her to her lowest scoring total (21 points) of the 2023-24 season. Additionally, the formidable defense of South Carolina made it difficult for Clark to convert inside, resulting in her missing 10 2-pointers.

In the WNBA, Clark should anticipate facing such rigorous defense consistently, commencing with matchups against Gamecocks alumni Tiffany Mitchell and Tyasha Harris in Indiana’s opener against Connecticut. Unlike in college, where Clark could sometimes hide on defense, relying on teammates like Gabbie Marshall to handle tougher matchups, she will now confront a multitude of offensive threats on every opposing team. Expect opponents to relentlessly challenge her off the dribble and apply physical pressure on both ends of the court.

“Challenge-wise, I think the physicality of going against grown women is going to be tough,” Andraya Carter said in the WNBA’s pre-draft Zoom call. “The hits are going to be a little bit harder. The checks are going to be harder. The defense is going to be more physical and the players will be faster.”

Transitioning to the professional level presents unique challenges for top guard prospects, as history shows. Among the nine rookies who have ranked in the top 10 of WARP (wins above replacement player) since 2010, only Maya Moore was a perimeter player, according to ESPN.com. Clark’s style of play doesn’t exactly mirror that of her childhood idol.

Previous No. 1 picks Kelsey Plum and Sabrina Ionescu both endured significant learning curves on their paths to All-Star status. Plum didn’t achieve double-digit scoring averages until her fourth season, a surprising development for the former leading scorer in Division I women’s college basketball history. Similarly, Ionescu struggled to convert more than 35 percent of her 3-point attempts until her fourth season, despite shooting 42.2 percent from beyond the arc in college.

However, Clark possesses several advantages compared to Plum and Ionescu. Standing at 6 feet tall, she has a height advantage over Plum, providing her with cleaner shooting opportunities from the start. With All-Star Kelsey Mitchell also in the Fever’s backcourt, opponents may not assign their best defender to Clark immediately. Additionally, Clark demonstrates deeper shooting range than Plum at this stage, enabling her to stretch opposing defenses.

Ionescu’s early career was hampered by a severe ankle injury, highlighting the importance of health for Clark in her rookie season. Moreover, Ionescu’s struggles as a primary ball handler are noteworthy—despite her collegiate record for triple-doubles, she only thrived in the professional league alongside another point guard. Since Clark will assume the primary ball-handling duties, her passing skills must shine from the outset. Fortunately, passing might be her most polished skill as she enters the pros.

“There will be challenges, but at the same time the talent around her is also going to be better,” Rebecca Lobo said on the pre-draft call. “I’m excited to see what that looks like in particular on the offensive end of the floor.”

A more relevant comparison for Clark could be Rhyne Howard, the No. 1 pick in 2022. Like Howard, Clark excels as a high-volume 3-point shooter and scorer. In her rookie season, Howard earned All-Star honors by consistently launching shots from beyond the arc. Although Howard primarily focused on scoring rather than creating opportunities for others, she effectively utilized her size advantage to pull up against smaller defenders— a strategy that Clark can emulate.

Clark’s extensive skill set, whether it’s spot-up shooting, playmaking, or creating her own shot, suggests that she has multiple avenues to make an immediate impact. Unlike previous top picks, Clark’s exceptional resume sets her apart and positions her for success from the start.

Even if she faces challenges early on, Clark has ample time to adjust and thrive at the professional level. With the support of a franchise committed to her development and optimizing her basketball environment, she has the tools to succeed. Ultimately, there’s consensus among observers that Clark’s game will translate to the WNBA, including Taurasi.

“When you’re great at what you do,” Taurasi said, “you’re just gonna get better.”