WNBA fans engaged in an intense discussion about Caitlin Clark’s MVP prospects on Sunday after the Indiana Fever superstar scored 26 points and dished nine assists against Angel Reese’s Atlanta Dream.
Clark led Indiana to a 95-91 overtime win, too. Former NFL player-turned-analyst Robert Griffin III initiated the talks after declaring Clark an MVP “frontrunner.”
“Caitlin Clark 26 pts, 9 assists, 3 Rebs and a big time win over the Atlanta Dream. Caitlin Clark should be the front runner for WNBA MVP. Nobody impacts the game more with scoring & assists. 3rd in PPG 1st in Assists/game,” Griffin wrote. “No one in WNBA history has ever finished top 3 in PPG & 1st in assists.”
Griffin believes Clark’s contributions in two major ways, with her scoring and assisting, should be a swing factor in fueling her MVP case. Clark is on course to finish as a top-three scorer and No. 1 in assists, averaging 22.0 ppg and 8.3 apg.
After initial concerns about her shooting efficiency, Clark has improved in those areas, too. She’s converting 45.0% of her field goal attempts and 35.4% of her 3-point attempts.
However, she leads the league in turnovers (4.6) and has the lowest plus-minus (+3.8) compared to rival MVP candidates A’ja Wilson (+8.0), Olivia Miles (+8.3) and teammate Kelsey Mitchell (+6.1). Caitlin Clark is also considered the weakest defender in this group.
Several WNBA fans opposed Robert Griffin III’s MVP “frontrunner” remark for the Indiana Fever superstar.
“The MVP award includes defense. It’s an all around award. If you are getting subbed out during critical defensive possessions because everyone knows you are so bad you aren’t the MVP,” one fan wrote.
More reactions followed.
Caitlin Clark erases doubts about not producing high-quality performances against teams with a .500 record or betterSeveral critics of Caitlin Clark have pointed out that she performs better against weaker teams. The numbers backed up the claim, too. Clark was averaging 19.2 ppg, 7.5 apg, 5.0 tov, shooting 39.7% from the field and 30.8% from the 3-point range against teams with a .500 record or better. Against sub .500 teams, she averaged 24.1 ppg, 8.8 apg, 4.6 tov, shooting 49.7% from the field and 41.5% from the 3-point range.
Over the past three games, Clark has erased doubts after leading Indiana to wins over New York, Dallas and Atlanta. She has averaged a team- and league-high 25.7 ppg and 9.7 apg, shooting 50.9% from the field and 34.6% from 3-point range. Clark has also trimmed down her turnovers to 3.3 per game. The Liberty, Wings and Dream’s collective record was 0.639 before the Fever took them on.
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