Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever will start their playoff run on Sunday in Game 1 of their first-round series against the defending champions, the Las Vegas Aces. As the No. 3 seed, the Aces have home-court advantage, with Sunday’s matchup from Michelob ULTRA Arena scheduled for 4:00 p.m. ET.
On Friday, ESPN published its updated player rankings heading into the postseason. Clark, who has averaged 22.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game this season, was ranked No. 2 among all players in the playoffs.
“Clark finished the best year of her career ranked No. 3 in points and went into the final day of the regular season battling Alyssa Thomas for the assists title. She was at the helm of the league’s No. 1 offense and paired with Kelsey Mitchell as the league’s most potent backcourt. The 2024 No. 1 pick has 14 point-assists double-doubles this season, including a 45-point, 10-assist masterpiece on July 17,” Kareem Copeland of ESPN wrote.
Clark was ranked one spot behind reigning WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson, who ESPN considers the best player in the league heading into the postseason. Clark’s Fever teammate Kelsey Mitchell is ranked No. 5.
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This development drew substantial reactions on social media. More than a few fans are unhappy with ESPN’s decision to rank Clark No. 2.
“Embarrassing for them. She is the covert player on the Fever, let alone in the league,” a comment on X read.
“Lol. Who cares? They’re woke clowns trying to dim the light of leagues biggest star,” said another.
“Nasty work. ESPN has fell off,” a user wrote.
“That’s a joke,” a reaction read.
“Sugarcoating as usual 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣” declared another.
“Is this a joke in the last game she was missing,” commented a reader.
The reactions to ESPN’s ranking were divided. Some argued that No. 2 is too high for Clark, while others believe that she should have been No. 1.
Either way, Clark remains a polarizing figure in the WNBA, and the backlash against ESPN’s decision to rank her No. 2 is a testament to that.
Clark and the Fever have a tough test ahead in the first round. The Aces eliminated the Fever in the semifinals last season.
The odds are stacked against Clark and Co., but they will do everything in their power to pull off what could be the biggest upset of the opening round of the WNBA playoffs.
