Caitlin Clark and Azzi Fudd are renowned for their 3-point shooting, but this season, the duo is standing out with their defensive numbers. Clark and Fudd are in an exclusive club as the only players leading their respective teams in steals and blocks. Clark is averaging 1.1 steals and 0.9 blocks, while Fudd is averaging 1.1 steals and 1.0 blocks per game.
The narratives around Clark’s defense suggest she’s one of the easiest players to pick on, especially since her performance against the Portland Fire on Saturday. Clark seemingly got into it with coach Stephanie White over her defensive lapses.
The Fever star picked up five fouls in that game, including three in the first half alone. Numbers also support the case that Clark gets picked on, as she has defended 42 isolated possessions this season, the most for any player.
On the other hand, Fudd is considered one of the better and more versatile defenders around the league despite being a rookie. Still, players do attack her and Fudd proves their scouting report wrong every opportunity she gets. She’s one of those players whose impact on defense is beyond the box scores.
Caitlin Clark’s comparable numbers to Azzi Fudd quash narratives around the Fever star, which have gained steam over the past week. Her fans didn’t miss the chance to call out the star’s critics.
“But I heard Clark was the worst defender on her team,” one fan sarcastically said.
“I’m told that CC can’t play defense…well they lied lmao,” another wrote.
“CC leading spg bpg lmao the narrative is dead,” one fan added.
“Here’s that horrible CC defense shining bright yet again,” one fan said.
“One is called a cone and one is called a lockdown defender,” another wrote.
WNBA reporter backs Caitlin Clark’s defense amid incessant criticism
WNBA reporter Robin Lundberg backed Caitlin Clark amid incessant criticism of her defensive game. While going back and forth with a few critics on X, Lundberg pointed to Clark’s traditional stats and advanced metrics to suggest that she isn’t as underwhelming as the chatter makes her seem.
“Defense is very tough to quantify statistically,” Lundberg wrote. “The stats defend Clark, the film doesn’t at times. The truth is in between. She’s no stalwart, but she’s also not this epic disaster everyone is making it out to be b/c it’s easy to latch on to.”
In another tweet, Lundberg cited her defensive stats, saying she ranked No. 3 in the Fever’s team defensive ratings and led them in steals and blocks. Clark is also third in rebounds per game.
Read more:
- Caitlin Clark Fans Bash Lin Dunn For Retweeting “Hit Piece” Describing Fever Star’s Spotlight As “Hurdle” For Stephanie White
- Fever Fans React As Caitlin Clark’s Boyfriend Lands New Coaching Role With Pacers
College Sports Network has you covered with the latest news, analysis, insights, and trending stories in college football, men’s college basketball, women’s college basketball, and college baseball!
