Caitlin Clark, a former Iowa Hawkeyes standout rookie point guard, was taken with the first pick in this year’s highly anticipated WNBA draft by the Indiana Fever, and even before she played in her first professional game, some insiders have compared her to an NBA player.
ESPN’s SportsCenter’s Instagram said that all-star Dallas Mavericks combo guard Luka Doncic gave the six-footer some very high accolades for his ability to shoot the ball.
“That’s the women’s Steph Curry,” Doncic offered, comparing her impact to the current Golden State Warriors All-Star point guard. “She can shoot it better than me.”
With 201 three-pointers made, Clark set a record for both men and women in the NCAA. She is a long-range sniper significantly more often than Doncic, even though this season, Doncic’s conversion rate (38.2%) is slightly higher. With 201 three-pointers made, Clark set a record for both men and women in the NCAA. She is a much more consistent long-range shooter than Doncic, even though this season Doncic’s conversion rate (38.2%) is just slightly higher than Clark’s (37.8%). The five-time All-Star Doncic is averaging 33.9 points, 9.8 assists, 9.2 rebounds, 1.4 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game this season on shooting splits of.487/.382/.786. Slightly fewer than his 13 two-point tries per night, the 38.2% average is achieved on an astounding 10.6 triple tries.
In her 39 games played for the 34-5 Hawkeyes this past season, Clark averaged 31.6 points on .455/.378/.860 shooting splits, 8.9 assists, 7.4 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 0.5 blocks a night. Her 13.6 triple attempts far outpaced her 9.1 two-point tries.
Clark warped the floor around her in the college game, much like Curry before her. Like Clark, the 6-foot-3 Golden State superstar is such a prolific shooter from long range, while also being a lethal distributor, that he forces opposing defenses to stay up on him pretty much anywhere on the floor, which in turn opens up cutting and driving lanes.
At the collegiate level, Clark had a similar impact. Now that she’s been selected by the Fever, where she’ll suit up alongside 2023 No. 1 draft pick (and subsequent All-Star and Rookie of the Year) Aliyah Boston. Clark is looking to carry that momentum over to the pros, in much the same way Curry was able to bring over his excellent shooting from his Davidson days.
The world seemed to be eager to see what Clark does next. She has inked a big contract with Nike, where she will receive a pair of trademark sneakers right now. The most viewed women’s collegiate basketball game ever was Clark’s senior game, an 87-75 loss to the 38-0 South Carolina Gamecocks and fellow top overall pick Kamilla Cardoso. We’ll all be looking to see exactly how much she can influence a team that finished 13-27 the previous season in terms of winning.
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