NBA legend Kevin Garnett claims that the WNBA break for the 2024 Olympic Games has given the Indiana Fever’s Catilin Clark a crucial edge over the Chicago Sky’s Angel Reese in their battle for the Rookie of the Year title.

The 22-year-old ex-Iowa Hawkeye recorded 29 points in her first game since the WNBA All-Star match as they took on the Phoenix Mercury on August 16. She looked a level above anyone else on the court at the Gainbridge FieldHouse.

As a result, Garnett, the 2008 NBA champion, feels the rest has done her good compared to the rest of the league by giving her the “adjustment” needed to enter the second half of her debut season as though she’s a second-year pro.

“What if @CaitlinClark22 ‘s Olympic break was the off season adjustment for the league that @wnba rookies don’t get before their 1st season,” Garnett pondered on X.com, formerly Twitter. “Shyt looked crazy out there yesterday.

“Can tell she was in the film room…”

Clark’s performance was stellar on her home turf in Indiana as the Fever defeated the Mercury 98-89 with an explosive 33-16 first quarter as the star guard posted 29 points, 10 assists and five rebounds in a double-double performance.

Interestingly, it was a great chance to compare how Reese and Clark are performing at the moment after the Sky played the Mercury on August 15, where their star rookie recorded 11 points, 15 rebounds and one assist in an 85-65 loss.

Who do the Indiana Fever play next?

The win over the Mercury saw the Fever improve their record for the season to 12 wins and 15 losses (.444) as they sit third in the WNBA’s Eastern Conference, 10.5 games behind the pace of the New York Liberty at the top of the table and one game ahead of Reese’s Sky team.

The Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark will next take on the Seattle Storm on Sunday, August 18 at the Gainbridge FieldHouse with the game scheduled to tip-off at 15:30 ET/12:30 PT.