Caitlin Clark touted for a unique honor by an NBA icon as the Fever continue to win

The Indiana Fever continue to sizzle following their hard-fought win over the Atlanta Dream at State Farm Arena on Monday.

Rookie guard Caitlin Clark shook off an apparent ankle injury and helped Indiana to the 84-79 victory, posting a stat line that is pretty commonplace at this point: 19 points, 7 assists, and 7 rebounds.

As Clark continues to impress and adapt to the demands of WNBA basketball, speculation is heating up as to how much silverware will be bestowed upon her at season’s end.

The Fever are getting closer to ending a playoff drought that stretches back to 2016 — when Clark was 14 years old — and Indiana’s All-Star guard is putting up some great numbers for a 22-year-old rookie.

Dwight Howard asks a challenging question about Clark

Not since Candace Parker in 2008 has a rookie in the WNBA taken home the league’s Rookie of the Year award as well as MVP honors.

But former NBA star Dwight Howard wondered on X/Twitter if Clark would be the second player to sweep both awards — and only the fourth NBA/WNBA player all-time to receive these two honors in the same year.

Howard‘s case is bolstered by Clark’s dominance in offensive categories relative to this year’s rookie class.

Caitlin Clark touted for a unique honor by an NBA icon as the Fever continue  to win

With Cameron Brink injured and Angel Reese showing elite defensive traits but a slower-growing offensive game, Clark has blazed to the top of the rankings in a number of offensive stats.

Clark ranks a respectable 10th in scoring across the entire league, and her 8.2 assists per game lead all players in the W.

If the season ended today, that would be the fifth-best season average for assists in league history.

However, MVP talk for Clark appears premature given the Fever’s modest 14-16 record — a pace that does have Indiana on course for the playoffs, but not close to competing with the league’s championship contenders in Las VegasNew York, or Minnesota.

That said, Clark’s trajectory has her on track to win that coveted award in the coming years — and the Rookie of the Year award does seem sewn up for the former Iowa star.