Caitlin Clark is the most high-profile player in the WNBA, but not all of the attention is good attention, as she is also one of the most heavily criticized players in the league. However, one WNBA analyst does not think that criticism is deserved.
While it’s impossible to deny Clark’s scoring ability and her passing prowess, she is often criticized for how much she turns the ball over. To be fair, she has turned the ball over more than anyone else since she has been in the league.
In each of her first two seasons in the WNBA, Clark has led the league in turnovers per game, averaging 5.6 turnovers per game in her first season and 5.1 turnovers per game last season. This season, she is averaging 5 turnovers per game, which is the third-most in the league.
However, during Sunday’s game between the Indiana Fever and the Seattle Storm, NBC broadcaster Kate Scott had a pretty clear message to Clark’s critics as she put her turnovers in context.
“We all read the comments,” Scott said during Sunday night’s broadcast. “We see that some folks have a problem with how much Caitlin [Clark] turns the ball over.”
Scott wanted to compare Clark’s assist-to-turnover ratio to some of the NBA’s assist leaders. This season, Clark is averaging 9 assists along with her 5 turnovers. Scott found that Clark’s numbers are not far off from the NBA’s superstars.
“So I looked things up, just compared to the MNBA leaders in assists,” she continued. “Nikola Jokić, about 10 assists per game, 4 turnovers per game. Cade Cunningham – who I know is playing a big game 7 tonight – about 9.5 assists per game, 4 turnovers a game.”
“So, calm down, everybody,” she concluded.
Scott explained that when a player is handling the ball as much as Clark is throughout the course of a game, turnovers are unavoidable.
“Yeah, because she holds the basketball for the majority of the 40 minutes,” she said. “Welcome to the sport of basketball.”
The reality is that even if Clark does turn the ball over often, she more than makes up for it with her assists totals and her scoring, and her critics often lose sight of that.
About Dave Kelsey
Contributing author to The Comeback.