Caitlin Clark Joins Steph Curry, Michael Jordan with Rare Rookie Box Scores, Stats

Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark inserted herself into a select group thanks to her performance in Friday's 98-89 win over the Phoenix Mercury.

Clark finished with 29 points on 8-of-16 shooting along with five rebounds and 10 assists. The X account WarriorsMuse noted Stephen Curry and Michael Jordan are the only other rookies across the NBA and WNBA to have multiple games with at least 29 points on 70 percent true shooting, five boards and 10 dimes.

We've come a long way from some people complaining about the WNBA schedule and how it was putting Clark and the Fever at a disadvantage. Indiana looks like a totally different team from the one that started 1-8.

Missing the 2024 Summer Olympics could've been a blessing in disguise for the No. 1 overall pick as well. She had virtually no offseason before becoming a pro, so taking a month off allowed her to recharge mentally and physically.

At 12-15, the Fever are 5.5 games back of the Seattle Storm for the fourth seed with 13 games to play. They can shrink that gap on Sunday when they host the Storm at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Even if Indiana can't move up in the standings enough to have home-court advantage in the first round, it's peaking at the right time and could cause some serious waves in the playoffs. Clark looks like the kind of player who could single-handedly swing a postseason series already.