Comparing Caitlin Clark’s rookie season to Victor Wembanyama’s

Clark is a supernova, bringing women’s basketball into the homes of millions who had previously not watched the game regularly. She entered the WNBA just weeks after leading Iowa to its second straight NCAA national runner-up finish.

After all her winning at Iowa, coupled with did-you-see-that highlights, it was natural that any sort of adversity would come as a shock to viewers accustomed to seeing her heroics on a nightly basis.  

For comparison’s sake, Wembanyama averaged 19 points, nine rebounds, two blocks and shot 42 percent from the field in the first 13 games of his career. Clark has put up solid averages of 16 points, nearly five rebounds and six assists per game on 37 percent shooting from the field and 33 percent from downtown.

Wembanyama saw his fair share of struggles on the court in his first 13 games, but he scored in double figures in all but one game, while Clark has failed to reach double figures three times and in three other games did not get above 11 points.

Transitioning to the professional game is not easy. The players are bigger, stronger and simply better than any other level. For the most part, both players have made the transition well, the usual rookie hiccups an expected part of the leap to the highest level.

Where the two differ, however, is the reception from their peers in the league and the microscope they’ve played under from a national perspective. Wembanyama, for all the hype that surrounded him, appeared on national television 19 times in the regular season. That was a major jump for a San Antonio team that only appeared on national TV once the year prior. But 36 of Clark’s 40 games will be on national television. 

Wembanyama dazzled with his freakish athleticism that made even the greatest in the game gush about him. Outside of some rude posterizations, which are bound to happen to any shot blocker, Wembanyama was mostly allowed to settle in as a rookie, free of his peers trying to knock him down a peg with cheap shots or quips to the media.

The same can’t be said for Clark, whose next game is Thursday against Atlanta. In what has been a strange start to her pro career, opposing players have mocked, body-checked and openly downplayed her significance to the game’s current ascension. It has led to an awkward Clark vs. the WNBA storyline that she didn’t create and hasn’t cultivated. But the flames have been steadily fanned by her peers and national media.

For the most part, Wembanyama and Clark played like rookies typically play, even the superstar ones. They’ve had their fair share of brilliance, along with the growing pains of turning the ball over too much or being outmuscled on defense.

One season of Wembanyama indicated he’s a star who will shine bright for a decade or more. Thirteen games of Clark is hardly enough to make a career assertion, but it’s a good guess she will be the face of the league for years to come.