The Fever guard is breaking records in her debut season
The 3-point shot is an art, and the players who have shot it best rewrote basketball’s rules and defined an era in the sport. The emergence of sharpshooters Ray Allen and Reggie Miller in the 1990s introduced new strategy into the NBA; in the decades to come, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson would rewrite the record books and make the 3-pointer much more fashionable than the slam dunk.
But in the 27-year history of the WNBA, the league’s 12 teams have never encountered someone quite like Caitlin Clark. Sure, all-time points leader Diana Taurasi can shoot it reliably from distance, while Sabrina Ionescu and Kelsey Plum are also lethal from behind the arc. However, Clark is already separating herself as a different kind of shooter as her Indiana Fever close in on the playoffs.
Caitlin Clark is taking and making deeper threes than some of the best shooters in the NBA.
our rookie of the year is different. pic.twitter.com/YMPnYVdo2D
— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) August 31, 2024
Klay, Luka, Steph…and Caitlin
The Fever’s official X/Twitter account came with the data to show that Clark is a unique sharpshooter even in a 3-point-heavy era in the NBA and the WNBA. The average distance on the rookie’s 3-point attempts is further back than Thompson last season for the Warriors, further back than Luka Doncic’s average distance in his best season, and even further back than Curry in his best year.
This may not come as a complete surprise given that Clark’s game warranted comparisons to Curry over her decorated four-year career at the University of Iowa. But after some early hiccups in May and June, Clark’s college game has almost-totally translated to the pro ranks — and she has the Fever, at 16-16, close to their first winning season since 2015 (when Indiana last made the WNBA Finals).
Luka Doncic on Caitlin Clark:
"That's the women's Steph Curry. She can shoot it better than me."
Luka and LeBron, it's stamped pic.twitter.com/zQMO5fvD4V https://t.co/0xwhDtmgjs
— Russ' TD ⚡ (@RussFcb) August 31, 2024
After making history at Iowa and leading the Hawkeyes to the national championship game in 2023 and 2024, Clark appears more than capable of turning the WNBA’s existing power structure on its head as well. The NCAA’s all-time scoring leader is averaging better than 18 points per game in her first season, and her 8.3 assists per game lead all WNBA players.
