Why Caitlin Clark is 'fired up' despite Fever's playoff elimination

Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever's 2024 season came to an end after losing to the Connecticut Sun in the first round of the postseason. Overall, it was a successful season for Clark and the Fever, though. She won the WNBA Rookie of the Year Award and even finished fourth in MVP voting. The Fever will need to make some changes during the offseason, but the long-term outlook is promising for the team.

Clark recently explained why she is "fired up" for the future despite Indiana's postseason defeat, via the Indiana Fever.

"I think there's so many ways that I can continue to get better," Clark said recently. "I feel like there was so many ways I could have been better this year. And that's what, like, gets you going and gets you fired up. You want to continue to keep playing."

Clark is excited for the future. She could surely use a break since she hasn't received much time off since her final season at Iowa. Clark was drafted by the Fever after Iowa's season came to an end in April, and the WNBA season started in May. Although she will likely appreciate the rest, Clark admitted that the season ending "stinks" since the Fever played so well in the second half.

"But at the same time, that's what stinks about the season ending," Clark continued. "I felt like we were really starting to find our groove and really playing good basketball."

The Fever would have loved to make a championship run. Still, clinching a postseason spot in Clark's first season is a success. Indiana only expects to improve moving forward.

Caitlin Clark's rookie season

Clark did not have too much trouble making the adjustment from college basketball to the WNBA. She did improve as the season continued, though. She ultimately finished the '24 campaign with a points per game average of 19.2 while shooting 41.7 percent from the field and 34.4 percent from beyond the arc.

Clark also contributed 5.7 rebounds, 8.4 assists and 1.3 steals per outing. It was a season that most players in the WNBA would have loved to have. The fact that a rookie enjoyed such a successful campaign is truly incredible.

The Fever have an opportunity to emerge as a serious championship contender within the next couple of years. First, they must continue to improve the roster around the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year.