The WNBA regular season is almost at its quarter mark, and the standings are starting to take shape. Near the top of the standings are the Atlanta Dream, which made the defining move of the offseason by trading with the Chicago Sky to acquire star forward Angel Reese.
The move has paid massive dividends for Atlanta. Although Reese has struggled with her offensive efficiency at times, she’s been nothing short of a force on the glass and an anchor for Atlanta’s defense, which is arguably the best in the league.
Reese’s statistical production speaks for itself, but she is also establishing herself as the emotional leader for the Dream, as noted by The Sporting News’s Rodney Knuppel.
Things aren’t going nearly as well these days for her biggest rival, Indiana Fever point guard Caitlin Clark. Clark and the Fever entered Tuesday as the WNBA’s ninth seed, putting them on the outside looking in of the early playoff picture.
Clark’s leadership has also come into question as of late, especially after a fiery exchange with head coach Stephanie White was captured on camera in a blowout loss to the Portland Fire on Saturday.
WNBA analysts Annie Costabile and Lena Keita even broached the possibility of Clark requiring a benching in a recent episode of her No Offseason: The Athletic Women’s Basketball Show podcast.
“She can’t allow herself to become bigger than the franchise to a point where she’s not buying into all the ways that she has to impact a franchise from a leadership standpoint, from the standpoint of improving defensively,” Costabile said. “Like, that’s where she has to, I think, take some accountability and understand that, yes, you, you make the franchise go as a franchise player, but your ego can’t become bigger than the franchise.”
“I don’t know if it’s going to be Caitlin doing it for Caitlin,” Keita continued. I think an external event has to happen. Raven Johnson starts, right?”
Clark being removed from the starting lineup is a bit extreme, but the Fever guard may want to take a page or two out of Reese’s book if she plans on winning at the highest levels as a professional.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.