Caitlin Clark may be heralded as the ‘female’ Stephen Curry but there seems to be an NBA superstar who is more interested in her career. Kevin Durant a.k.a the Slim Reaper has on countless occasions talked about Caitlin and her brilliance as a basketball player.
Advertisement
He even went as far as to claim that when she played on the court, her speed made everyone else look slow. While on his ETCs podcast, Durant stated this last year:
Durant: “It looks like everybody on that court is way slower than her. … They’re showing some stuff out there from a skills standpoint, and a creativity standpoint, you can’t [ignore].”
.@KDTrey5 is a big fan of @CaitlinClark22 💯
full episode: https://t.co/vTh28TDjtN pic.twitter.com/xSdbHucUWJ
— Boardroom (@boardroom) February 9, 2022
But this wasn’t a standalone praise. Clark, who blew up last season after showcasing her exceptional shooting, has now taken the University of Iowa to the NCAA Division I finals. It’s clear that in just a year since Durant’s complement, she has grown leaps and bounds. So, naturally, KD praised her again. This time, it wasn’t her speed but her game sense.
Kevin Durant praises Caitlin Clark’s basketball IQ
In his latest episode of ETCs, which will release on April 4th, Kevin Durant unsurprisingly discussed Caitlin Clark. Though the podcast is yet to release, Boardroom has released a small snippet of the interview. In the interview, Durant took note of Clark’s presence on the court and her ability for playmaking.
Durant started by praising Iowa for building a team that thrives on each other’s strengths. He then credited the 6ft star for making everyone on the Hawkeyes better with her presence. Kevin Durant also talked about Clark baiting the defense and always making the right plays.
KD: “She’s getting her teammates involved. They got so many shooters. I watched them play Louisville, and the way they moved the ball and played off of her was just perfect. They all got an opportunity to shine.” He continued, “She can do a lot out there. She’s making the right plays. She can draw so much attention, and she’s just baiting the defense in while still making the crosscourt pass. That’s just muscle memory.”
Durant, who is an overtly outspoken athlete, rarely praises players for the sake of it. His praise for Caitlin Clark is justified and she is proving her greatness. Tonight is an especially important game for her but even as she prepares for it, she is already the best player of the tournament.
Iowa has the best College Player
Caitlin Clark, without a single doubt, is the best women’s college player at the moment. Her game is not only entertaining but effective. She has hints of Magic Johnson and Stephen Curry in her style with a really high IQ that allows her to maximize the skills of her teammates.
On top of leading her team to the Division I championship finals, Clark is also in the midst of a historic run. She has already broken a few records and is expected to break a few more tonight.
On Saturday, she became the first player in the history of NCAA Women’s Basketball to register back-to-back 40 points. She also became the first NCAA player, both Men and Women’s categories, in history to register a 40-point triple-double during her game against Louisville.
In the 2023 NCAA Tournament, Caitlin has already set the record for most assists (52) in a single tournament in history. Clark has already made 23 three-pointers, tying her for the all-time record. Moreover, she has registered 161 points in the tournament, the second most in history.
She only needs 17 more points to break the all-time record. With the Finals on the line, it’s hard to imagine her not scoring 17 points. Faced with all these numbers, it’s hard to question her legacy. She may just retire from women’s college basketball as the greatest to have ever played.
