Of course, Taurasi made headlines back in April ... when she said she anticipated big struggles from Clark once she arrived in the W. The Phoenix Mercury guard said on ESPN "reality is coming" for the then-Iowa superstar -- explaining she believed dominating in the WNBA was a far tougher task than tearing up the college ranks.

But, after Clark and her Fever squad got the better of Taurasi and the Mercury on Sunday at the Footprint Center in Arizona ... Taurasi had nothing but kind things to say about the 22-year-old.

In fact, the 42-year-old said Clark's rookie season has been "nothing short of remarkable."

"The one thing that I really love about her, she loves the game," Taurasi said. "You can tell she's put the work in. Even throughout her short WNBA career, it's been a lot of pressure, a lot of things thrown at her, and she keeps showing up and keeps getting better every single game."

Taurasi then gave Clark credit for bringing life back to the Fever, a WNBA team that hasn't made the playoffs since 2016.

"Obviously, what she’s done for the game has been pretty incredible and that momentum coming out of college, eyes on you for four years straight, think what she’s doing for that team right now is pretty impressive," Taurasi said.

For Clark's part, she made it pretty clear Sunday she had no issues with Taurasi ... as the two were seen sharing a hug prior to tip-off. Even before the matchup, Clark told media members Diana was her idol.

"It's kinda like a dream come true," Clark said. "You get to live out your dream playing against the best. It's fun for me for sure."