Caitlin Clark was a national sensation long before she made it into the league. And after getting drafted, her popularity skyrocketed along with the WNBA. Clark’s long-range shooting took the league by storm. In a recent interview, the Indiana Fever rookie went ahead to explain her mindset behind shooting threes from the logo.
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Clark stepped onto the hardwood floor with the host to demonstrate her long-range shooting ability. Since it was the rookie’s day off, Clark wasn’t prepared or even warmed up to shoot those long-range bombs, but she managed to do so anyway.
“I only shoot from back there in games if I have made a couple. Then you get a free pass to launch a long three.”
Caitlin was asked to demonstrate a logo 3 😭
“Are you guys gonna make me shoot in these nice clothes? Thats crazy I’m not even warmed up either”
“Do you want me to try? Ok but you have to try second.”
“I didn’t know I was signing up for this” pic.twitter.com/8jxVXfUrTY
— correlation (@nosyone4) September 30, 2024
The host asked if the free pass was from the coach or just herself. To that, Caitlin mentioned that it was a little bit of both.
She further went on to add, “Sometimes I feel closer than I am. Like, I don’t feel that far back, especially in a game. I kind of lose sight of where I actually am which is probably a good thing.”
Clark has been phenomenal when it comes to knocking down long-range jumpers. As per WNBA.com, Clark has attempted 8.9 three-pointers per game, making 3.1 out of them. And her percentage comes down to 34.1 from beyond the arc.
While some analysts or fans may find fault in Caitlin shooting jumpers way beyond the three-point line, it does wonders for her team regardless.
The fact that CC is a threat as soon as she crosses the half-court line makes it tougher for teams to defend her. Clark demands attention when she’s on offense, which means a defender has to be on top of her constantly.
This helps in spacing the floor which makes a lot more room for her teammates to generate offense for themselves.
Clark is being compared to the likes of Lillard & Curry
Clark’s three-point shooting is spectacular. But her ability to shoot from logos stems from players like Damian Lillard and Stephen Curry, who have been knocking down shots in the NBA for years.
Inspired by the likes of Curry and Lillard, Clark is the first woman to bring that level of shooting to the WNBA. As per SportsIllustrated, the Golden State Warriors guard was once asked to give his views on CC’s shooting. And this is what he had to say.
“I’ve been watching from afar. And understanding just how much of a power she is out there on the court. The cool part is which, the way that she plays and her range, and the level of difficulty on her shots is obviously a very close comparison to the way I play.”
Curry also went on to add how her shooting tends to overshadow the rest of her game as well.
“I think it almost robs her of the rest of her game…She has her overall floor game, she’s racking up close to triple-doubles every night. Her shooting ability is—it’s her superpower, but the rest of her game is as polished as that, and so this is must-see TV.”
Clark led her team to the WNBA playoffs this season but lost to the Connecticut Sun in the first round. Despite the loss, many believe CC will come back more polished and better than she was in her first year with the Fever.