Caitlin Clark‘s adjustment to the WNBA has not been as smooth as many fans expected after they watched her light up defense after defense in the NCAA. Though Clark was named the league’s rookie of the month for May, the Indiana Fever guard has been burdened by the strength and physicality of opposing players — the latest instance being a controversial shoulder-check issued by Chicago’s Chennedy Carter, which resulted in a flagrant foul.

Many fans and viewers — a lot of them new to the WNBA — have rushed to Clark’s defense in recent days, lashing out against the lack of “protection” that Clark is being afforded from referees or from her Fever teammates. However, those who have been around the W for years are not at all surprised at the challenges facing the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer during her first months in the pros.

Clark told to embrace the physicality

ESPN analyst Chiney Ogwumike played seven years in the WNBA and was the league’s Rookie of the Year in 2014 — an honor that will likely head Clark’s way if her scoring average remains the highest in this year’s class. But Ogwumike knows all about the challenges Clark has to overcome in order to reach her potential in the pros.

“For those who may be new to this, the WNBA has always been a physical league,” Ogwumike said Monday. “Full of competitive fire and trash talk.”

Ogwumike called out bad-faith actors — such as ESPN coworkers Pat McAfee and Stephen A. Smith — for “furthering agendas that don’t serve the game,” like claiming that rampant jealousy of Clark’s popularity has resulted in an uptick in hard fouls or rough conduct, which is just not the case.

“All rookies, especially number one picks, I know what it’s like, have been tested. Mentally, physically, emotionally,” Ogwumike said. “From Candace Parker to Sabrina Ionescu to Kelsey Plum to Skylar Diggins-Smith, and until a few days ago Alyssa Thomas was just ejected for a hard play on Angel Reese. Plays like this happen in sports.”

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Ogwumike then sent a thinly-veiled message to Clark, instructing her to “grind through” the contact and the hard fouls that other guards before her had to grind through. She believes Clark should ignore the discourse and narratives from newer fans to the game. If Clark can do that, the sky becomes the limit for the Fever prodigy.

“Ones who grind through that type of grind, become beasts. This is not hate, this is hoops. Like any other game that is professional at the highest level,” Ogwumike said. “And I hope people truly get to understand that.”