Everyone supposed it. Everybody assumed it. Once the Indiana Fever gained ownership of the first pick in the 2024 WNBA draft and Iowa sensation Caitlin Clark announced she was entering the draft, no one debated it.

Basketball followers, basketball fans, all figured the Fever would choose the 6-foot, record-setting guard as a no-brainer pick.

Still, the silence piqued a bit of curiosity. Clark was busy trying to lead the Hawkeyes to an NCAA title. The Fever said nothing. Tracing some history of professional teams and draft picks, it is clear anything can happen.

Michael Jordan was not the first player selected in the 1984 NBA draft. He went third, right behind Sam Bowie, who was not one of the five Hall of Famers taken that year. In Indianapolis, fans recall the Colts choosing Peyton Manning over Ryan Leaf as their next quarterback.

They were considered equals after their 1997 college seasons. Leaf was a bust as a pro, Manning a Hall of Famer. Drafting pro talent is such an inexact science, it may be inappropriate to call it a science at all.

At the Fever’s recent media day, general manager Lin Dunn, one of the grande dames of women’s basketball, admitted her mind was set on Clark the moment Clark made public her plan to go pro.

Yet Dunn said it was prudent to be cautious. Clark had time to change her mind and return to Iowa to play another year.

That did not happen and April 15, the Fever took Clark with the first overall choice in a draft presumed to be loaded with future stars.

Dunn, whose 77th birthday May 10 is just days before the Fever’s season-opener, had lengthy college stays at the University of Miami (Florida) and Purdue, was the first coach of the WNBA’s Seattle Storm and coached the Fever to its only league championship in 2012.

The Fever later struggled and in 2023 played poorly enough and were lucky enough to obtain the league’s No. 1 draft choice then, too. The team selected center Aliyah Boston from South Carolina, who became rookie-of-the-year.

Building from the inside-out, adding Clark to Boston’s substantial presence, can produce a successful basketball dynamic. While most attention on Clark focused on her record-setting scoring numbers and shooting from afar, her passing facility may be equal.

Clark concluded her college career as the women’s Big Ten leader in assists and holder of the NCAA tournament record for assists. When she does not create her own shot she creates shots for teammates, the trait of a superior point guard

In an interview immediately after she was drafted, Clark spoke about blending with the 6-5 Boston.

“As a point guard, my biggest job is, I’m just feeding Aliyah the ball every single game,” Clark said. “I’m gonna go in there and be like ‘Hey, go make a layup.’ She’s gonna make my life easy.”

Boston might say, “Hello, new best friend.”

Dunn drafted the Clark skills package as part of her own long-range team game plan. Dunn coached the Fever to a WNBA crown and spent a decade at Purdue, so she certainly understands the fervor of the Indiana basketball fan. She has retired three or four times, depending on what math formula is in use. She said the request to oversee the Fever rebuild is the only thing that would have pried her off a beach.

“The Fever has always been special to me,” Dunn said. “This is the final tour. It means a lot to me to get this franchise back on track.”

Mixed metaphor or not, Dunn said the Fever is like a daughter to her she wishes to coax to adulthood over a three-year period. Clark’s ability to make other players better on the court, Dunn said, will have “a huge impact on our program.”

Clark had practiced with the Fever about a week. Her life has been an incredible whirlwind over recent months, leading an Iowa team to the NCAA title game, gaining a national following through televised games and nationally televised ad sponsors, as she pursued and surpassed scoring and assists records.

In a rush of activity, with all eyes on her, Clark swiftly journeyed from the conclusion of Iowa’s regular season to the Big Ten tournament, to the NCAA playoffs, to the draft, to the Fever’s training camp.

“You could wish you had a little break,” Clark said. “But I’m in good basketball shape. I have confidence in that I was playing the best basketball of my career.”

That prepared her, “to go on to the next chapter.” A vacation from hoops can wait.

The Fever has the fever to see what Caitlin Clark can do next.