Caitlin Clark has undoubtedly cemented herself as one of the best playmakers to ever burst out to the scene in the WNBA. Just in her rookie season, Clark broke the league’s single-season assists record, dishing 321 dimes. Very recently, Clark was hosted by one of the greatest point guards of the league, Sue Bird, on her podcast “Bird’s Eye View.”
Passing and the ability to read the game to make plays is probably any point guard’s greatest asset. As a veteran guard herself, Bird wanted to know Clark’s thoughts on if passing can be learned and improved.
On that note, Caitlin Clark replied how she feels every player can be a good passer, depending on their willingness to pass when their teammates are open. However, Clark added how certain attributes such as game IQ as a point guard are rather acquired skills.
She named some of the players who she believes are great at playmaking, but interestingly leaving out Paige Bueckers. One of the players Caitlin names is New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu, who signed a two-year, $410,600 contract with the New York Liberty.
“I think Sabrina, and even watching her throughout college, because when I was in high school, she was one of my favorite players. At the time, she was the person in college. That was just my time period. Her Oregon teams were amazing,” Clark said. (26:48)
Furthermore, Clark also names Skylar Diggins and Chelsea Gray to the list while also appreciating Alyssa Thomas for her presence on the post. She did not forget giving a shoutout to her teammate Aliyah Boston, who she believes is becoming a great passer and is the ‘best post playmaker’ in the league.
To Paige Bueckers’ credit, she has already etched her name as a rookie guard with her versatile playmaking abilities. As a college player, Bueckers led the nation with her assists to turnover ratio, distributing the ball effectively with minimum turnovers. As of now, she is averaging 5.4 assists per game in the regular season. Bueckers is a strong shooter as well, shooting 45.7%.
Analyst believes Paige Bueckers is having a better rookie season than Caitlin Clark
There has been a recurring debate around Paige Bueckers already surpassing Caitlin Clark’s rookie season. Though Caitlin Clark holds a major number of WNBA records as a rookie, Paige might just be right about there.
College basketball analyst Mark Zanetto also thinks the same and recently made his feelings clear on “The Hoops Cap Pod” podcast. Calling Bueckers a more rounded player, Zanetto said:
“That signals she is the better basketball player. She’s the one who has the innate skills that of course Caitlin Clark also has. But, I think What differentiates Paige for me is the ways she can score all over the court but also her defensive intensity. She is a better two-way player than Caitlin Clark. (1:45)
Though Zanetto might have a point here. Caitlin Clark might have had 1.3 steals per game in her rookie season, but that also amounted to 5.6 turnovers. On the other hand, Paige Bueckers has a better steals to turnovers ratio, averaging 1.8 steals while only recording 2.1 turnovers per game.
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