The entire
basketball world, including several
NBA stars, turned their attention to the Women’s NCAA Tournament earlier this week. The Elite Eight featured a rematch of last year’s championship game between Iowa and LSU. Last year, it was Angel Reese and LSU that came away victorious, winning the first National Title in program history. This time around, it was Caitlin Clark and Iowa who prevailed, advancing to the Final Four to face off against UConn. Clark had a performance for the ages , scoring 41 points with 12 assists and seven rebounds. She didn’t let a few turnovers early in the game deter her from playing her style, as LSU had no answers for her. Her long-range
shooting was on full display as Clark knocked down 9-of-20 3-point attempts and 13-of-29 overall from the field. Once she steps over midcourt she is in range as Clark is averaging 26’1” on her 3-point field goals this season. To put into perspective how impressive that is, that is more than two feet deeper than even the NBA 3-point line. Her performance has been mesmerizing, which has led to some people debating whether or not she could hold her own in the NBA. Former players have quickly shut that down. They don’t even believe he should find success in Ice Cube’s Big 3 league, as she received an offer of $5 million to play. Many people believe she would not be able to hold up against men, especially if they pressure her similarly to how the best shooters in the league are defended. However, there is a group of people who do believe that Clark would find success playing in the NBA. While speaking to NBA Analysis Network , an NBA scout revealed that they believe Clark would put together a productive career in the league. “Some have very openly disagreed with me on this, but I think Caitlin could put together a good NBA career. She’s going to dominate the WNBA like she has in college. But, I think she would carve out a quality NBA career if that opportunity presented itself. She’s that good.” It would certainly be interesting to see what Clark could do against what is considered the best basketball player in the world in the NBA. She is supremely talented and is a tier above the other
Women that she plays against. But, it would be hard to imagine her being able to hold her own against players who could very well outweigh her by 100+ pounds with otherworldly athleticism. This article first appeared on NBA Analysis Network and was syndicated with permission.