Caitlin Clark On Pace To Break Every WNBA Single-Season Assist Record
While Indiana Fever rookie sensation Caitlin Clark's extraordinary sharpshooting she showcased in college hasn't yet followed her to the WNBA, her elite court vision and passing talent absolutely has.
Clark is currently leading the WNBA in assists per game, with 8.2. And with her having 213 assists during this 2024 rookie season with 14 regular season games still left to play, it's all but certain that she'll shatter Ticha Penicheiro's record of 225 single-season assists by a WNBA rookie, which she set in 1998.
Caitlin needs 13 dimes on Friday to get the Rookie Assists Record that’s been standing since 1998. With 14 games left she’s going to annihilate it. What a rookie season she’s having. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/ifad5Osr84
— Bj 🎞️ (@fettyfilm) August 14, 2024
In fact, given that Clark averaged 12.5 assists during the month of July, she could break Penichiero's record during the Fever's next game against the Phoenix Mercury on Friday.
While Clark's pursuit of that record is impressive, what's even more so is that she's on pace to break the WNBA record for assists in a season by any player, rookie or otherwise.
Connecticut Sun star forward Alyssa Thomas set the WNBA record for assists in a season with 316 in 2023.
Thomas needed to average 7.9 assists per game to set that record. Clark, as we already alluded to, is currently averaging 8.2 assists per game. Doing a bit of simple math, Clark being 103 assists away from Thomas' record with 14 regular season games left to play means that the former Iowa Hawkeyes superstar needs to average 7.4 assists per game for the rest of this season to break that record.
In other words, Clark will shatter Thomas' record if she can rediscover the elite passing form she had been displaying before the WNBA's month-long break for the Olympics.
It's staggering to consider how quickly Clark has able to become one of the WNBA's best passers.
Imagine once she finds her shooting stroke.
GRANT YOUNG
Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.