Caitlin Clark still has a lot to work on according to prominent analyst

Caitlin Clark has had one of the best rookie seasons in WNBA history, but she also had some holes in her game in two main areas.

In what was a potential playoff preview in early September against the Minnesota Lynx, Clark and the Indiana Fever came up short when it mattered most. One sports personality believes Clark's demeanor badly set her team back in the defeat.

Jason Whitlock posted on social media, "Caitlin Clark made a fool of herself last night. Embarrassing performance. Her lack of emotional control and hyper-focus on arguing with and showing up the referees caused the Fever to lose composure and meltdown."

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Whitlock continued, "She has a well-earned reputation with the refs. No player in the WNBA spends more time whining and bickering with the refs. Last night she took it to a new level. She behaved like a 12 year-old entitled brat."

As captured by the Daily Mail, Clark said, "I think there's definitely a line. I was frustrated and I thought I got fouled a couple times in the second half of mid-range jump shots. It happens."

Fever head coach Christie Sides weighed in on Caitlin Clark’s mounting technical foul total. After Clark picked up her fifth technical, Sides told Athlon Sports, "We’re gonna have a conversation. I don’t need Caitlin to sit out a game. That is definitely going to be a conversation."

However, Clark's temper has continued to get the best of her. In a mid-September game against the Dallas Wings, she picked up her sixth technical foul. It's a pattern that Sides was hoping would subside before the end of the regular season, but has continued to persist.

In addition to a hot temper, Caitlin Clark has also turned the ball over at a clip not seen before in league history.

Clark scored 23 points to go along with eight assists and five rebounds in a late August game, ironically also against the Minnesota Lynx. However, she made some costly errors that put the Indiana Fever in a bad spot, which Whitlock commented on at that time as well. All statistics are from Basketball Reference.

Whitlock, formerly of ESPN and Fox Sports, posted on X, "They gotta quit making excuses for Caitlin Clark’s turnovers. It’s sloppy and hurting her team."

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Every victory or defeat is magnified down the stretch of the WNBA season. Clark’s turnovers, especially when committed at crucial times of the game, can cost the Fever an important game in the regular season or the playoffs.

Clark has set the single-season record for assists by a rookie already, and leads the WNBA in average assists per game. However, she’s set another dubious mark in the process; Clark also set the league record for turnovers in a season.

Whitlock’s former colleague at Fox Sports, Skip Bayless, sees Clark’s brilliance and is largely willing to forgive her mistakes. Bayless posted, "Caitlin has already shattered the WNBA single-season record for turnovers with 12 games left. But I forgive many of them because they’re so close to being spectacular passes. She also leads the league in assists and 'wow' passes."

Marca somewhat echoed Bayless’ sentiment by writing, "Whether viewed as a critical flaw or a byproduct of an ambitious playmaker, these turnovers are a central part of Clark’s narrative."

Clark is averaging nearly two more turnovers per game than the player (Alyssa Thomas) who is second in that category, so the Fever guard will need to tighten things up with better decision-making in the season’s final few weeks.

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WNBA legend Diana Taurasi thinks Clark will be fine, but acknowledges that she is going through some growing pains. "College basketball is much different than the WNBA, than it is overseas. Each one almost is like a different dance you have to learn," she told USA Today.