Iowa Hawkeyes superstar Caitlin Clark is widely expected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming WNBA Draft, but longtime WNBA star Diana Taurasi doesn’t seem to think the adjustment from the college game to the WNBA game is necessarily going to be easy for Clark.
In a recent interview with Scott Van Pelt on ESPN, Diana Taurasi had a pretty clear warning for Caitlin Clark as she prepares to enter the WNBA.
“Reality is coming,” Taurasi said. “There’s levels to this thing. And that’s just life, we all went through it. You see it on the NBA side and you’re going to see it on this side, you look superhuman playing against 18 years olds but you’re going to come play with some grown women that have been playing professional basketball for a long time.”
Diana Taurasi on Caitlin Clark coming to WNBA "Reality is coming….you look superhuman playing against some 18 years olds but you're going to come play with some grown women that have been playing professional basketball for a long time" pic.twitter.com/fxBxGoRZCS
— Gifdsports (@gifdsports) April 6, 2024
Taurasi wasn’t necessarily saying that Clark was going to fail, but just that there’s an adjustment period for players entering the professional ranks.
“Not saying it’s not going to translate cause when you’re great at what you do you’re just going to get better. But there is going to be a transition period where you’re just going to have to give yourself some grace as a rookie. And it might take a little bit longer for some people,” Taurasi said.
It’s worth noting that Taurasi was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2004 WNBA Draft, but she had success pretty immediately, earning the WNBA Rookie of the Year award and spot on the WNBA All-Star Team as a rookie.
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