The WNBA season is just days away from tipping off after an offseason of contentious negotiations around a new labor agreement between the league and the players’ association. Now that a new collective bargaining agreement has been ratified, fans will get to see their favorite players back on the hardwood.
In anticipation of the game’s biggest stars returning to the court, The Athletic released its preseason predictions for the All-WNBA first and second teams. Shockingly, Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark didn’t make the first team in the preseason selections, which were made by Annie Costabile, Brian Hamilton, Chantel Jennings, and Sabreena Merchant, having to settle for the second team.
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The First Team predictions were:
Second team predictions were:
“Clark hasn’t played consistent WNBA basketball in more than a year, and that uncertainty bumps her slightly off her top-five MVP peak during her rookie season,” the feature read.
It’ll be interesting to see how Clark’s new role impacts her numbers this season, as head coach Stephanie White looks to feature her off the ball more than fans saw in Clark’s first two seasons.
“The way that people and teams play Caitlin is different than (how) they play everyone else. It’s the nature of her skillset, what she brings to the table, and it’s really the ultimate compliment,” White said. “And so, in order to alleviate how hard she has to work on every single possession, it’s important to get her off the ball sometimes. When you think about what are the ways that you can rest when on the floor, that’s one way.”
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“I know people are freaking out about this thing, it’s not all the time thing either. It’s a way to help her load management,” White continued. “It’s a way to help alleviate some of the extra stuff that’s put on her shoulders throughout the course of the game.”
If Clark can adapt well to the change, The Athletic’s experts might end up wishing they’d bumped her to the first team.
The post Caitlin Clark left off The Athletic’s preseason All-WNBA first team appeared first on The Comeback: Today’s Top Sports Stories & Reactions.
