‘I was 100% correct’: Analyst defends controversial Caitlin Clark take after her early playoff exit

ESPN senior writer David Dennis Jr. had quite the take regarding Indiana Fever point guard Caitlin Clark during the WNBA regular season, asserting in July that she wasn’t a top-four guard in the WNBA after she came in 11th in All-Star voting amongst her peers.

“I don’t think that you can make a compelling argument that Caitlin Clark is a top 4 guard in the WNBA. Like, nobody can at this point,” Dennis said at the time.

“That is why she was 11th. She got the 11th most votes for being in the top 4. So there’s really no controversy about that, because especially when you add in the fact that she is one of the most popular players in the WNBA, she’s going to make the All-Star team. That is not the argument here.

“I think what bothers me is when this is framed as some sort of like petty jealousy or insecurity by these women in the WNBA, because that’s not what I’m seeing was happening with Caitlin Clark. Caitlin Clark is experiencing pretty much what happens anytime a young player comes into the league with a lot of hype, especially the hype that she’s receiving.”

Clark and the Fever were eliminated of the first round of the playoffs by the Las Vegas Aces on Thursday night, and Clark struggled to find her All-World form in the winner-take-all Game 3. After the game, Dennis took to X to address his initial take, which he is standing behind, in a series of posts.

“In July we had two days of segments about Caitlin Clark. Most people’s biggest takeaway was that insane wasn’t a top 4 guard in the league for All Star Weekend. Note: I was 100% correct. She was not,” Dennis wrote on X. “She had an incredible 2nd half of the season and then played back to her spot as top 3 guard imo. And naturally every time she did anything meaningful a horde of fans and antagonists will hop in my mentions about it despite the fact I said top 4 ‘at the time.’ I really don’t desire to be “right” about a player’s shortcomings. I’d rather be right about how good a player or team is. I take pride in those takes. I like to rub it in when that happens.

In July we had two days of segments about Caitlin Clark. Most people’s biggest takeaway was that insane wasn’t a top 4 guard in the league for All Star Weekend. Note: I was 100% correct. She was not.

— David Dennis Jr. (@DavidDTSS) October 2, 2026

“But when you try to constantly defend a take about someone not being as good as people think you kind of position yourself as a hater. And I really didn’t want to do that with CC who I think is pretty great! I think CC has the potential to be the best player in the league after A’ja is gone. I think she can and should win a title. I just think she’s not there yet. But also I don’t desire to rub it in peoples faces on Twitter. People who are now noticeable absent in my mentions btw.”

For Clark’s part, she’s not worried about any of the noise and is proud of what she accomplished this year, and is excited to get back to work for 2027.

“I was able to come out here and put together the best season I’ve had and perform at a really high level and basically get better in every area and still feel like I have so many areas to improve,” Clark said. “So, I guess that’s the most exciting part moving forward. I love the work. I love being in the gym. So, I’ll probably be kicked out for a little while, but we’ll get back to it.”