“They’ve woken a monster,” that was Christie Sides’ revelation when asked about Caitlin Clark’s reaction to her Olympic snub. And with the competitive spirit she harbors, Sides’ words look true. Since then, Clark has come a long way. Recently, in her first WNBA return game after the Olympics, Clark just fell short of her game-high in the WNBA by a singular point as she scored 29. And while her opponents found it difficult to catch up with her strategy, ex-NBA star Kevin Garnett exactly knows how Clark has been able to perform this well. And it lies with one advantage that she has that WNBA stars such as A’ja Wilson never had.

“What if @CaitlinClark22 ’s Olympic break was the off season adjustment for the league that @wnba rookies don’t get before their 1st season… shyt looked crazy out there yesterday… 💯 Can tell she was in the film room…,” Garnett tweeted on the social media platform X on Saturday.

Clark last played a game for the Indiana Fever in mid-July and that’s almost a month ago. The Olympics break that happened surely seems to have rejuvenated her. As per Garnett, it gave her the time to think about her strategies and go back to the film room. Hence, when Wilson & Co. were working together as a team, Clark was busy improving her game. And this is one advantage that Wilson didn’t have in her year.

Wilson was drafted as the number one pick in 2018 but the Olympics didn’t take place that year. Hence, the only time she got to introspect was when the WNBA season ended. Nonetheless, in the first year with the Aces Wilson averaged 20.7 points with 8 rebounds per game which surely made a statement for her. As for Clark, this game just shut her critics.

Clark, on Friday, became the first WNBA star to score more than 50 points and 25 assists within a duration of 2 consecutive games. Clark started the game on high scoring 13 of the 29 points in the first quarter itself, something that set the tone for the rest of the evening. Other than that, the 22-year-old came in handy with her assists hitting 10 and saving her team with 5 rebounds. Thus, when Diana Taurasi & Co. tried to make a comeback in the game, they could only score 89 points in comparison to Fever’s 98. But, when Clark was asked to give the recipe to her brilliance, she pointed out one factor that helped her a lot: chemistry.

Caitlin Clark credits chemistry with teammates for her success

Clark with her playmaking skills had led her NCAA team Iowa Hawkeyes to two Championship Finales in consecutive years. Hence, when she looked to be continuing her exceptional performances from the NCAA while dominating the league and was asked about the ingredients to her brilliance, the Iowa-born didn’t shy away from admitting that basketball is after all a team game. “But I think it’s just been developing the chemistry with my teammates, where they can see it and be on the same page. It’s having that chemistry that’s unspoken,” Clark enunciated.

Notably, after taking Iowa to a high, Clark’s efficient playmaking skills earned Fever the seventh-seeded spot in the WNBA list. Hence, they certainly look to be making the playoffs- a spectacle they haven’t been used to since 2016, the only pre-requisite being that Clark continues her on-song performances.

Clark definitely looks to have utilized her break to the best of her ability and hopefully, for her fans, it will show throughout the season. As for Sides, she surely looks to have groomed a monster.

Stay tuned for more such updates and join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger.