Stephen A. Smith Asserts Juju Watkins Belongs in the Same Conversation as Caitlin Clark

Caitlin Clark may be taking the world of women’s basketball by storm, but Stephen A. Smith named one young woman who he believes will have the same pull as the Indiana Fever star once she arrives in the WNBA.

Stephen A. lauded the performance of Juju Watkins this season, who is once again leading the NCAA in points per game. Considering the 19-year-old’s stretch of consistent dominance, Smith questioned why the USC star isn’t receiving the same amount of attention that Clark received during her run with the Iowa Hawkeyes.

“When are we gonna start talking about [Watkins] the same way we talk about Caitlin Clark?” the longtime sports analyst asked candidly. Clearly the best talent in women’s college basketball and the leader of the impressive 26-2 Trojans, Smith believes a talent as special as Watkins should be getting her flowers.

Stephen A. recalled how Watkins averaged over 27 points per game as a freshman and has continued her legendary collegiate career with a 24-point-per-game average in year two. “If you look at her skillset, her ball-handling ability, her driving ability, her shot-making ability, this sister is something special,” Smith said of the talented guard.

Smith is adamant that Watkins starts receiving the attention she deserves, but this isn’t the first time the 57-year-old has brought up the USC star’s surprising lack of media coverage this season.

Stephen A. already demanded more attention for Juju Watkins

Back in December, Stephen A. had a similar opinion about both Watkins’ elite skillset and her notable lack of media attention. Smith’s sentiment from a few months ago was almost identical to what he said recently.

“We should be talking about [JuJu Watkins] the way we talked about Caitlin Clark last year,” Smith said. “JuJu is special, I’m telling you that right now. She is the package! She is gonna be special.” The First Take host’s stance clearly hasn’t changed over time, and neither has Watkins’ production.

Watkins has posted four 20-plus point performances in USC’s last five contests, highlighted by an electrifying 38-point showing against UCLA on February 13th. With each dominant performance, Watkins is making sports networks look worse and worse for refusing to cover her rising stardom.

It may take more time before the sophomore standout begins to receive the coverage she’s earned over the past two seasons, but it will be well-deserved when that time does come.

If leading one of the best women’s basketball programs in the NCAA isn’t enough to convince the media she’s worth paying attention to, her eventually rise to the pros should get the job done.