It feels like a lifetime ago when the Indiana Fever started their season with an abysmal 1-8 record and looked like they would have yet another high lottery pick in the next WNBA draft. During that span, Caitlin Clark, the talented rookie point guard and number one pick in the draft, looked like she was tired after barely getting a break between the end of the NCAA season and the start of her WNBA career.

That start, of course, had tongues wagging about how even a player of Clark’s skills would need to learn how to play in a “grown woman’s” league. Hell, it even had their coach publicly airing out her frustrations with their team, accusing her squad of not playing with enough effort.

Clark, who generates a ton on interest in the league from outsiders after becoming a media sensation during her glittering college career, took a beating not just from detractors, but also took a physical one from her opponents during the rough start.

However, Clark has proven to be remarkably quick study. She’s toughed it out through everything and showed that she possessed both the mental and physical fortitude to withstand the challenges put in front of her. The 1-8 record is now a distant memory, as Clark has led the Fever to a 17-16 record, breaking a streak of 189 straight games without a winning record for the Fever – the worst in league history.

In her latest game, a win over the Dallas Wings, Clark had 28 points and 12 assists while shooting 52.6% from the field and 45.5% from three.

In the game before that, against the Chicago Sky and her nemesis Angel Reese, Clark dropped a career high of 31 points along with 12 assists while shooting shooting 57.1% overall and 55.6% from beyond the arc.

Clark is putting up 18.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, 8.4 assists, 1.4 steals and 0.8 blocks on shooting splits of 42.4%/34.1%/89.7% for the season. She does turn over the ball a lot, averaging 5.5 miscues per game, but a lot of that is happening because she’s a high usage primary playmaker who isn’t afraid to try a risky pass.

However, even with all of Clark’s greatness, basketball is still a team sport. It’s important to note that while she’s been playing well, Clark’s teammates deserve an equal amount of credit as they’ve also adjusted to her style of play and maximized her abilities. It’s a stark difference from the start of the season, where the ball either stopped moving around early in the clock or broke down because people couldn’t catch her passes or make the right runs.

Now, as you can see from the highlight clips from the Dallas and Chicago games above, it’s clear that players like Kelsey Mitchell, Aliyah Boston, NaLyssa Smith and Lexie Hull have figured out how to play with Clark. Everyone is always ready to run on the fast break because they trust that Clark will try to get the ball to them in transition, and in half court sets they’re also setting great picks and making plenty of backdoor cuts to take advantage of when defenses collapse on Clark.

The remarkable turnaround that Clark and the Fever have accomplished is a beautiful example both individual greatness on Clark’s part and the willingness of her teammates to back her up by putting themselves in the best position to make the most of her playmaking abilities. For every ‘fuck you’ three that Clark makes, there is an equally great play where a teammate makes the right read to run, cut, or sag back to the three-point line for a wide open look. It isn’t just Clark who is looking to dish out dimes, either, her selflessness is rubbing off on the other Fever players, who are willing to make extra passes to turn good looks into great ones.

One particular play from their game against Dallas is a sign of how unselfish the team has started to become.

Although the Fever probably don’t have enough firepower to win the league, it certainly looks like they’re developing ahead of schedule. Their back-to-back number one picks in Clark and Boston are gelling well and seven-season veteran Mitchell has been a wrecking ball on offense. Mitchell is leading the team with 19 points per game (and 27.7 points during their current four-game winning streak), while Boston is averaging 13.4 points and nine rebounds for the season.

Indiana will likely finish between the fifth and seventh spots at the end of the season, and it will be interesting to see what kind of noise they can make in the playoffs.

It’s important to note that Clark still has plenty of detractors, including WNBA Legend Sheryl Swoopes, who was recently removed from commentating on Fever games after her very public displays of disdain for the young guard. Throughout all of the controversy, Clark has shown a remarkable ability to keep herself above the pettiness and let her game do the talking. That’s a big part of what makes her fun to watch, because if you take away all of the arguments online, and just watch her play basketball, you get to see a remarkable athlete who’s just getting started.