Last year, Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark went from No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft to a top-five finish in MVP voting and a spot on the All-WNBA first team. Fresh off leading UConn to its first national championship since 2016, can Paige Bueckers make a similar impact as the presumptive No. 1 pick in Monday's draft?
Clark did experience some of what fellow No. 1 pick Diana Taurasi termed "reality," particularly during a brutal start to the schedule. With the Fever schedule front-loaded against some of the WNBA's top teams, including three matchups each with the Connecticut Sun and New York Liberty in the first 13 games, Clark shot 37% from the field and had nearly as many turnovers as assists while Indiana started 3-10.