Clark‘s teammate had to step in

Caitlin Clark is at the point in her rookie season where she is moving from strength to strength for the Indiana Fever. Following a nightmare 1-8 start to the season, the Fever have won 10 of their past 17 games — with Clark central to Indiana‘s surprise push for a WNBA playoff spot.

Clark’s passing has been the most noticeable improvement amid her continued adaptation to professional basketball. The NCAA‘s all-time leading scorer is already one of the WNBA’s finest playmakers — she has recorded at least 11 assists in seven of her past nine games. Against the Dallas Wings on Wednesday, Clark set a new WNBA record with 19 assists in a single game, the latest high point in a career that is only 26 games old. But the first-time All-Star had trouble looking past the final score, despite her achievement.

Boston shouts out Clark’s achievement

Despite Clark’s 24-point, 19-assist performance in Dallas, the Wings ultimately emerged victorious in a close game that Indiana really could have won prior to the Olympic break. The Wings’ 101-93 victory bothered Clark immensely, her anger boiling over at multiple points during the game — and she wasn’t exactly eager to talk about her new assist record after the final buzzer sounded.

However, Aliyah Boston came to Clark’s rescue after a career-best evening of her own. Boston, now a two-time All-Star, scored a career-high 28 points against the Wings despite the losing effort — and where Clark wanted to be deferential by saying she just wants to set up her teammates for success, Boston wanted to shout about her achievement from the rooftops.

“She’s going to say it means nothing, but I think it’s pretty cool,” Boston said of Clark’s record. “It’s pretty cool.”

The interaction shows how far the Boston-Clark partnership has come during their first year playing together. The pair of 22-year-olds clearly represent the Fever’s best hope of returning to championship contention in the near future, and they are visibly starting to gel on the hardwood.

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As the league takes a month-long pause for the Summer Olympic Games in Paris, the Fever are seventh in the standings and three games ahead of the ninth-place Atlanta Dream — who would miss the playoffs if the season ended today. That three-game cushion is in large part down to Clark’s selflessness, competitive fire, and team-first mentality — which offers little in the way of stopping to smell the roses. It’s a mentality that WNBA rivals should fear in the coming weeks, months, and years.