Sue Bird issues blunt reminder amid Fever's Caitlin Clark mania
09/05/2024 11:24 PM
For the first time in eight years, the Indiana Fever have qualified for the WNBA playoffs, much of the credit going to rookie sensation Caitlin Clark, who has broken several records in her first year in the pros. Besides the records, the rookie also leads the league in assists, averaging 8.4 per game. However, basketball is a team sport, and WNBA legend Sue Bird reminded fans that the Fever has other great players, like Kelsey Mitchell, despite the Caitlin Clark mania.
In a recent episode of her “A Touch More” podcast, Bird sang the praises of Clark’s teammates, which the Fever shared on their official account on X, formerly Twitter.
“You can’t talk about the Fever without talking about Kelsey Mitchell, who is on an incredible streak, shooting the absolute ‘you know what’ out of the ball,” the former Seattle Storm star said, definitely high praise coming from one of the greatest WNBA players of all time.
The Fever surging
After losing to the Minnesota Lynx, the Fever have rattled off five wins in a row, putting them at 18-16 and solidifying their hold on the sixth seed for the playoffs. Additionally, Caitlin Clark has done an excellent job of setting the table for her teammates while putting up points on the board.
While the rookie superstar is the engine of the offense, her teammates have also stepped up massively. One of them is Kelsey Mitchell, the second-longest tenured player on the team, averaging 27.8 points over the Fever’s last four wins.
Moreover, throughout the team’s five straight wins, Mitchell has racked up a total of 129 points on shooting splits of 68.2% from the field and a scorching 47.2% from three. She has also shot 90% from the charity stripe.
Per a post from StatMamba on X, Kelsey Mitchell became the first player in WNBA history to score 25+ points on 50/40/90 splits over a five-game win streak. While it remains to be seen whether she can finish the season in the 50/40/90 club, becoming only the second WNBA player to do so, she has cemented her position as one of the league’s best players.
Her shotmaking and offensive efficiency has also turned her into a perfect complement for a superb playmaker like Clark. If the Fever go on a deep playoff run this season, Sue Bird is right that Mitchell should deserve as much credit as Caitlin Clark, despite all the mania.
Greatness
Still, the rookie’s greatness is without doubt at this point. In their victory over the Los Angeles Sparks, Clark logged her second career triple-double with 24 points, ten rebounds, and ten assists. She is the only rookie in WNBA history to log a triple-double, let alone two.
At this stage, and with the Fever poised to make a playoff run, maybe analysts like Robert Griffin III is right about Caitlin Clark. She might be Rookie of the Year, and if she wins, it’s not going to be particularly close.
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