Indiana Fever point guard Caitlin Clark had her worst showing of the season on Thursday night, scoring just 16 points in a loss to the Golden State Valkyries on 25% shooting. Clark struggled to get her teammates involved as well, recording just six assists despite entering the game averaging nine per game, and turning the ball over five times.
While the offensive numbers may be a bit of an aberration, Clark’s performance on the other side of the floor is turning into a serious problem for a Fever squad with championship aspirations.
The Valkyries’ offensive approach under head coach Natalie Nakase seemed to largely be: attack Caitlin Clark, and it paid massive dividends. Golden State had an offensive rating of 124.1 with Clark on the floor, with that number falling to 100 when she was sitting.
In all, Golden State scored 28 points with Clark as the primary defender, and on some of the plays in question, it looks almost as if Clark is completely uninterested in defending.
Fans on social media called for Clark to hold herself accountable on both ends of the floor.
“Also Caitlin eventually gotta take the defensive end of the floor personally. I mean this is on tape now. It should piss you off that Natalie singled you out and went right at you. Secondly stop guarding every player on the perimeter as if they can’t shoot,” one person wrote on X.
“Caitlin Clark has really turned into one of the sorriest guards in the WNBA,” someone else wrote.
“I think a toddler can play better defense than that lol,” one fan added.
Clark’s offensive prowess almost always makes up for her shortcomings on the defensive end of the floor. However, on nights when she doesn’t have everything rolling, she’ll really need to start digging in on the other end of the floor.
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.