Fever's Caitlin Clark rewarded for career year with new ranking among WNBA's best players

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Fever's Caitlin Clark rewarded for career year with new ranking among WNBA's best players originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Caitlin Clark faced a lot of questions before the 2026 WNBA season tipped off.

After injuries limited her to just 13 games in 2025, it was reasonable to wonder whether Clark would return to her dynamic, exciting best after her sophomore season in The W was derailed.

Furthermore, the Indiana Fever made a surprising run to the WNBA semifinals without her, and came one win away from playing in the WNBA Finals for the first time in a decade. Did Clark need the Fever more than the Fever needed Clark?

MORE: Did Caitlin Clark sue Alyssa Thomas? Explaining fake report that has fooled WNBA fans

So far in 2026, Clark has answered those questions with aplomb. She has returned from injury as one of the WNBA's leading scorers, and on Thursday she was voted in as a starter for the 2026 WNBA All-Star Game.

As such, Clark now ranks third in ESPN's list of the 50 best players in the WNBA right now. The same outlet had ranked her 10th before the season began.

These are the best players in the WNBA right now according to @MAVoepel, @kendra__andrews, @kareemcopeland and @alexaphilippou https://t.co/UF8lL0fw7C

— ESPN (@espn) July 2, 2026

Clark's back has caused her to miss two games this season, but she is enjoying a career-best scoring season at 21.2 points per game. Though her efficiency is closer to league-average than league-best and her turnovers continue to be a problem, the 24-year-old is averaging 8.2 assists per game and running point for the league's No.1 offense in points scored per 100 possessions.

Slowly, Clark is building some momentum toward MVP consideration. Though the Las Vegas Aces' A'ja Wilson is the favorite to win the award for a record fifth time, Clark and the Fever are 1.5 games out of third place in the standings.

Getting into the top three -- and staying there -- would be fairly meritorious for a Fever team that has shown an inconsistent streak this season and still has problems on the defensive end. And it would look great on Clark's resume as she tries to push her way into the MVP conversation.

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