Caitlin Clark Reflects on MVP Conversation: ‘It’s Definitely Cool’

Caitlin Clark has been on a roll since the Olympic break, averaging 24.3 points per game on 43.6% shooting to go along with a league-best 8.9 assists. Her play is a big part of why the Fever have climbed to the #6 seed, and has put them in position to receive MVP votes.

Before the Indiana Fever’s final regular-season game, Clark was asked what it’s like to know that the media outlets that cover the WNBA believe she’s one of the top five candidates for the MVP award (members submit five picks for MVP, ranked #1 through #5). A’ja Wilson is considered the heavy favorite to win the award, but Clark appeared on numerous split First Team All-WNBA ballots, including those from ESPN and The Athletic.

“It’s definitely cool, especially where I started the year and was able to kind of figure it out as we went along,” Clark told reporters, per Chloe Peterson of Indy Star Sports. “And now, in Game 40, it feels like night and day compared to where I started. I’m proud of myself in that regard. I’ve learned a lot, and I’ve had to learn without really having a lot of practice time or an offseason to implement things that I want to implement, and I’ve had to learn a new scheme, new teammates, new coaches.”

The Fever are the league’s third-best team since the Olympic break, with a 9-4 record. Clark credits the midseason turnaround to her ability to play her game and the team’s growing profile.

“Once we got into our rhythm, my teammates let me be myself, and that led to some successes,” she said.

There has been a lot of talk about Caitlin Clark’s popularity, the race for Rookie of the Year and the MVP award, but Clark said she has always been able to focus on the sport itself.

“One of the biggest things for me is I’ve tried to keep basketball the main thing, and just enjoy it and have fun, and play and have fun, play freely,” Clark said. “That’s when I’m really at my best. But at the same time, you don’t get caught up in all that stuff. It’s just how you perform on the court. So it’s definitely an honor to have people who have been around the basketball world in the WNBA for a long time think of you that way. But at the same time, I feel like there’s just so much room for improvement.”

The Fever started the season with a 1-8 record, but Clark said they never lost faith that they could turn things around.

“Our energy was never flat,” Clark said. “We came in and we got better and we knew the tide was going to turn for us, and it certainly did.”

Regardless of what happens in the first round of the playoffs, this season will largely be viewed as a success for the Fever, who went from a #10 seed in 2023 to a #6 seed in 2024. Clark has exceeded expectations, Aliyah Boston has stepped up on all fronts and Kelsey Mitchell is having a banner year. The Fever will face either the Connecticut Sun or Indiana Fever in the first round in a best-of-three series beginning on Sunday.

“Obviously we have big goals in the playoffs,” Clark said. “I still feel like we can accomplish a lot more, and still exceed the expectations that people have of us.”