Caitlin Clark’s New Reality

In early April, during the N.C.A.A. Final Four, ESPN’s “SportsCenter” host Scott Van Pelt asked Diana Taurasi, the legendary guard for the Phoenix Mercury, what was in store for this year’s highly anticipated rookie class when it reached the W.N.B.A. “Reality is coming,” Taurasi said. “You look superhuman playing against eighteen-year-olds, but you’re going to come play with some grown women that have been playing professional basketball for a long time.” Greatness would translate, she added, but there would be a “transition period.” Rookies might have to give themselves “some grace.”