Caitlin Clark stepped on a professional court for the very first time on Tuesday. In a sold-out regular-season opener against the Connecticut Sun, the NCAA Division I all-time leading scorer had a chance to justify all the hype surrounding her debut. However, things didn’t turn out as planned for the 6 ft guard in the initial minutes of this much-anticipated clash.

Despite an assist to Aliyah Boston that resulted in the 3-foot two-point shot to open the account for Indiana, Caitlin Clark was looking out of sorts. A series of missed shots combined with some reckless fouls compelled Christie Sides to bench her in the opening quarter itself. While she herself had quite a slow run today, her bad passes that resulted in out-of-bound balls and whopping turnovers only degraded the effect more.

Nevertheless, the stellar rookie did make up for all the troubles to Sides. She ended tonight’s run with a game-high 20 points. However, her passes did not get the attention as she only delivered 3 successful assists. Moreover, her inaccurate shooting also did not sit well. Out of 15 field goals, she only made 5 buckets. Her threes were also slow with only 4 of 11 in the entire game. Consequently, this didn’t go well with the fans as they showed their frustration on social media.

“Looking mid” fans disapprove of the subpar performance by Caitlin Clark

Rookies need some time to adjust to the physicality and competitive level of the professional leagues. However, when someone like Caitlin Clark is in the focus, even her rather slow days can be flashing news. While she did put up good numbers by the end of the game, fans clamored up to point out how she did not do well in the beginning. One of them explicitly stated in the early minutes that her performance was unimpressive. The fan wrote on X, “Caitlin Clark looking mid.” 

Some even used GIFs to convey their disappointment with the 2× USBWA National Player of the Year. Moreover, they were also pointing out that she wouldn’t be able to win the games single-handedly. But Clark has already mentioned how she is going to rely on her vets and teammates in the team sport and she is doing just that.  The comment read, “Wow caitlin is definitely not used to getting blown out. She can’t win on her own!” 

One basketball follower did not leave anything in their sarcasm buckets as they announced how Caitlin Clark made a double-double in her very first regular season game. However, their double-double meant her 20 points and 10 turnovers. Before this, they also suggested how college basketball is not legit where Clark has been in the center of wrong calls in favor of the Hawkeyes multiple times. But now, she is in the W. The X user pointed out her numbers in tonight’s game saying, “And 0 rebounds (& 3 assists). And 4 fouls. On 33% shooting. I guess this league is legit, huh? #CaitlinClark”

A Connecticut fan did not stay behind as they too joined the bandwagon to diss the rookie. Stating that this is the professional league where Clark is playing now and is tougher than college basketball, where she finished with more than 3000 points, they welcomed her. However, whether it was a warning or a taunt may not be quite clear. But their tweet read, “Caitlin Clark having a rough night. Welcome to the pros”

Another Sun fanatic also came right behind siding with the Connecticut team to prove that the hype around NCAA’s scoring and passing queen is just that. After the game ended, they quickly reached over to tweet what the hosts said to the Fever; defeating them 92-71. Their comment read, “Connecticut Sun to Caitlin Clark.” It also had a GIF attached that said, “Pack it up. Party’s over.”

Seemingly, the hosts were not very friendly as they took every opportunity to steal, block, and force turnovers on the rather young team. However, that is what the game is all about. Nevertheless, it will take some time for the rookie to settle into the pro league, even if it is Caitlin Clark. But until then, the Sun fans can be delighted that they completely eclipsed the 2x Naismith Awardee’s debut regular-season opener.