Caitlin Clark, standing at 6 feet tall and weighing around 157 pounds, defies expectations with her impressive performance on the court. Despite being one of the smaller players in the WNBA, the Indiana Fever star has been making waves with her skills, earning praise from Nick Van Exel and Shannon Sharpe for her ability to tune out criticism and thrive in the physical WNBA environment. Clark's rookie year was historic, leading the Fever back to the playoffs for the first time since 2016, and she's continued to break records, including tying Courtney Vandersloot for most 20+ point, 10+ assist games in WNBA history.
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Shannon Sharpe Advocates for Caitlin Clark by Giving the Example of Tray Young
Van Exel commended Caitlin Clark for staying focused and ignoring critics, prompting Shannon Sharpe to draw a comparison with Atlanta Hawks' Trae Young, who despite being undersized at 6'1", faced similar doubts early in his NBA career. Like Trae Young, Clark's confidence and determination have allowed her to overcome obstacles and excel in her sport.
Trae Young defied doubts about his size, making a strong NBA debut with Atlanta in 2018-19, narrowly missing out on Rookie of the Year to Luka Doncic. He followed up with another impressive season, solidifying his reputation as one of the league's top scorers and playmakers.
Young had one of the more impressive sophomore jumps in recent memory, a feat Clark could match in the WNBA. “People said the same thing with Trae Young,” Sharpe said regarding Clark’s perseverance through physicality. “I said Trae Young’s gonna be good in the NBA. ‘Man, he too small!’ I said the dude led the nation in scoring and assists.”
“So if [Young] can’t score, he can facilitate. And if you try to take away his bigs, he can score,” Sharpe continued. “When you can shoot the ball with the range [Clark] has, she can get all the way to the rim. You see how she’s averaging eight assists a game in college. You mean to tell me that’s not gonna translate? Of course it is.”
The Hall of Fame tight end contrasted Trae Young and Caitlin Clark with Jimmer Fredette, a smaller player who struggled at the next level due to limited playmaking skills. Unlike Fredette, Young and Clark's ability to pass effectively, combined with their shooting range, makes it harder for defenders to key in on and take away their strengths.
“Now, Trae Young, okay, yeah, you crowd him. Jimmer didn’t have the handle that Trae had that can get his own shot off. Jimmer couldn’t facilitate. Trae can get you a 30 [point] 20 [assist] game,” Sharpe claimed. “There haven’t been that many guys in NBA history that can get you a 30-20 game.”
Trae Young and Caitlin Clark share similarities as undersized players with elite scoring and playmaking abilities. If Clark continues on a similar trajectory to Young's, she's likely to thrive and dominate in the WNBA despite being one of the league's smaller players.