Caitlin Clark re-defined what greatness meant for a college basketball player during her four-year career at Iowa. So when the Indiana Fever held the No. 1 pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, Clark was the obvious choice.
Paige Bueckers is in a similar situation this year, as her legendary college career and on-court prowess are highly regarded by WNBA scouts. She is all but guaranteed to be drafted first overall by the Dallas Wings in this year's draft on April 14.
The Fever had a ton of success during Clark's rookie season, but it wasn't by accident. They made all the right decisions as it pertained to their young star, and the Wings should follow suit this year when they inevitably select Bueckers.
What Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings can learn from Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever
The first, and arguably most important thing that the Fever did last season, was let Caitlin Clark be herself. Too often, a player ascends to the next level, and they are told that the things they did to get there will no longer work now that they've made it.
But from the opening tip last season, Clark was allowed to be herself and grow through all of her mistakes. While this may seem like bad advice because Fever head coach Christie Sides was fired at the end of the season, it allowed Clark to blossom into an All-Star after dealing with early-season struggles.
Bueckers was encouraged to play her game from day one at UConn, and she was the Naismith Player of the Year as a true freshman. For young players, the recipe for success is often simple: encourage them to discover what works. Often times, experience is the best teacher.
Another critical aspect of developing a young player is making sure that they do not have to do it all themselves. Clark was able to take possessions off by getting Aliyah Boston a post up or letting Kelsey Mitchell attack in isolation, and the Wings have to do that for Bueckers.
Instead of burdening Bueckers with creating on every possession, let her teammates like Arike Ogunbowale and DiJonai Carrington take some of the workload off of her. That will allow Bueckers to stay fresh and divert attention away from herself, just like Clark was able to do last season.
Ultimately, Bueckers is such a special talent that she is sure to rise above any situation that Dallas puts her in. But if they want to make things easier on her in her inaugural WNBA season, they'll mimic what the Indiana Fever did with Caitlin Clark last season.