A true superstar seldom steps onto the court as a rookie, but over the last year, Victor Wembanyama and Caitlin Clark, the respective rookies in men’s and women’s professional basketball, experienced just that.
For the San Antonio Spurs, Wembanyama has already concluded his rookie year, while Clark has played in 13 of the final 27 games as a member of the Indiana Fever. Even though it can be apples to oranges, it’s still worthwhile to look at the two best choices and assess how they performed.
Both celebrities had an almost legendary aura when they first entered their respective leagues. Though few Americans had seen the 7-foot-4 French prodigy, Wembanyama was hailed as the NBA’s next big thing. There were highlights on social media.
He sold out the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas for his first summer league game after the Spurs selected him first overall in the draft. Wembanyama made a name for himself as a formidable player on both ends of the court throughout the regular season. He scored 38 points and pulled down 10 rebounds in a win over the Phoenix Suns in his fifth game, one of just 22 for the lowly Spurs this season.
Millions of people who had never routinely watched women’s basketball now have thanks to Clark, the supernova. Shortly after leading Iowa to its second consecutive NCAA national runner-up finish, she joined the WNBA.
It made sense after all of her Iowa victory and did-you-see-that moments.
Wembanyama saw his fair share of struggles on the court in his first 13 games, but he scored in double figures in all but one game, while Clark has failed to reach double figures three times and in three other games did not get above 11 points.
Transitioning to the professional game is not easy. The players are bigger, stronger and simply better than any other level. For the most part, both players have made the transition well, the usual rookie hiccups an expected part of the leap to the highest level.
Where the two differ, however, is the reception from their peers in the league and the microscope they’ve played under from a national perspective. Wembanyama, for all the hype that surrounded him, appeared on national television 19 times in the regular season. That was a major jump for a San Antonio team that only appeared on national TV once the year prior. But 36 of Clark’s 40 games will be on national television.
Wembanyama dazzled with his freakish athleticism that made even the greatest in the game gush about him. Outside of some rude posterizations, which are bound to happen to any shot blocker, Wembanyama was mostly allowed to settle in as a rookie, free of his peers trying to knock him down a peg with cheap shots or quips to the media.
The same can’t be said for Clark, whose next game is Thursday against Atlanta. In what has been a strange start to her pro career, opposing players have mocked, body-checked and openly downplayed her significance to the game’s current ascension. It has led to an awkward Clark vs. the WNBA storyline that she didn’t create and hasn’t cultivated. But the flames have been steadily fanned by her peers and national media.
For the most part, Wembanyama and Clark played like rookies typically play, even the superstar ones. They’ve had their fair share of brilliance, along with the growing pains of turning the ball over too much or being outmuscled on defense.
One season of Wembanyama indicated he’s a star who will shine bright for a decade or more. Thirteen games of Clark is hardly enough to make a career assertion, but it’s a good guess she will be the face of the league for years to come.
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