Sabrina Ionescu Weighs In Only Caitlin Clark’s Difficult Start To Her WNBA Career

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Not all that long ago, Sabrina Ionescu was in the same place that Caitlin Clark is in now.

Ionescu was the top pick in the 2020 WNBA Draft after an outstanding college career and was expected to immediately become the face of the league.

But she, like Clark is currently, underwent a difficult adjustment period before finding her footing. Now Ionescu has a bit of advice for her fellow No. 1 pick.

“Every rookie is gonna come in and kind of just have adversity from the beginning,” Ionescu told reporter Russell Steinberg. “It’s just a lot different than college.

“So, my advice to any rookie is to just continue to grind and to stay with it, figuring out ways that you can continue to get better. I think that’s a big part of elevating your game and understanding that what you did in college was enough, and you deserve to still have that confidence coming into the league, but knowing there’s so much room for improvement.”

Ionescu made the WNBA All-Star game each of the past two seasons.

Her comments aren’t too far removed from those of Diana Taurasi. Taurasi was widely criticized for claiming that Clark would need time to adjust.

But it turns out she may have been onto something. The former WNBA MVP elaborated further on her remarks recently.

“You know these days, everything takes a life of their own,” “Every little snippet, every little comment, any quote taken out of context. Look, I only said it because when I watch games — and I’m sure when you talk to any professional athlete — you think about what they’ll look like as a pro.

“How will it translate? It’s going to translate. Like any college quarterback, it’s going to take time.”

Clark’s struggles are undeniable. But she’s two games into a likely lengthy career.

Like Ionescu and Taurasi say, maybe it’s time to take a step back with the immediate expectations.