Expectations could not have been higher for Caitlin Clark last season, yet somehow, she exceeded them.
The No. 1 overall pick from the University of Iowa transformed the Indiana Fever into a playoff in just one season. A year later, and championship expectations have entered the fold for the up-and-coming franchise.
Clark's prowess on the court is the basis for all of these lofty predictions, but it is nothing that the young star is not used to.
WNBA GMs view Caitlin Clark as the best player at both guard positions
With the WNBA season opening on Friday, the league released the results of a survey where they asked each franchise's general manager various questions about the league and the upcoming season.
According to the league's most prominent front office members, Clark is both the best point guard in the WNBA, as well as the league's best shooting guard.
While Clark shared the vote for best point guard with the Las Vegas Aces' Chelsea Gray, she was the outright vote winner for the league's best shooting guard. She narrowly edged out elite players like Sabrina Ionescu, Arike Ogunbowale, Jackie Young and Kayla McBride.
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This recognition is another feather in the cap for Clark, but it should come as no surprise to fans of the league. Clark is the epitome of a combo guard, as she can score with the best of them, but she also led the entire WNBA in assists during her rookie season.
There is really nothing that Clark cannot do on the basketball court, and the scariest part is that she is so young and only getting better. If her defense can improve slightly and she cuts down on her rookie mistakes from last year, she may be firmly in the driver's seat for the MVP award this year.
Clark will have her sophomore season debut on Saturday, May 17 as she takes on Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky. While she is already highly-decorated early in her career, she has tons more to prove as she embarks on another 44 game journey.