Caitlin Clark has certainly brought an unprecedented amount of attention to the WNBA since being selected first overall by the Indiana Fever. But individual players and views don't win championships, teams do.
Of course, Clark wasn't taken number one overall for no reason. One of the strongest arguments against her critics was her ability to lead Iowa deep to a national championship appearance, not just once, but twice in back-to-back seasons.
The Iowa Hawkeyes had never seen such success in the history of their women's basketball program - and who knows if they'll see anything comparable ever again.
The Fever have won championships before, but it's been 12 years since Indiana's glory days. The last few years have been a painful stretch for the franchise, winning a max of just 13 games twice over the past seven seasons.
Indiana didn't have the first overall pick for no reason either. Still, the pairing of Clark and last year's first-overall pick Aliyah Boston is as strong a duo as a team in Indiana's position could ask for.
Aliyah Boston and Caitlin Clark putting in work together for the first time 🤝 pic.twitter.com/U8cEeAUv8u
— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) April 24, 2024
But as the WNBA preseason gets underway, will the duo be enough to make a complete 180 and put the Fever back in the hunt for the 2024 WNBA Championship?
The bookies in Las Vegas certainly don't want to give Indiana too low of a shot, but the Fever aren't exactly at the top of the mountain just yet.
According to FanDuel future odds, the Indiana Fever is currently at +3300 odds to win the 2024 WNBA Finals Championship, the seventh-best odds in the league. The reigning back-to-back champion Las Vegas Aces are currently +100, the best odds in the league.
Clark and the Fever are strong favorites to have an impressive first year, though. The Fever are -260 to at least make the playoffs while Clark is a heavy favorite to win 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year at -700. Cameron Brink of the Los Angeles Sparks has the next-best odds at +1000.
Clark is also third in MVP odds at +1200 behind Breanna Stewart (+550) and A'ja Wilson (+115).
There are a handful of other prop bets on Clark's rookie season, including Clark leading the Fever in scoring at -280, recording 1+ made three in every regular season game at +300, and breaking the WNBA single-game scoring record at some point during the season at +3100.
Clark's regular season debut with the Fever is set for May 14 as Indiana faces the Connecticut Sun on ESPN2. Fans can see her in action tonight in a pre-season matchup with the Dallas Wings at 7:00 p.m. on the WNBA App.
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