Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- Caitlin Clark leads the WNBA with 63 three-point attempts from 26 feet or deeper this season.
- Her efficiency on those long shots ranks last among players with 25 or more such attempts, with an effective field goal percentage under 50 percent.
- While the Fever have a better offensive rating with Clark on the floor, their overall net rating suffers due to her poor long-range shooting.
Back in her college days, it seemed like Caitlin Clark could shoot the ball from anywhere and there was an 85 percent chance it was going to go in the hoop. She had a special aura about her game, and she backed it up by making big shot after big shot.
But the WNBA is a different game. Clark's decision-making has been a bit of an issue when it comes to shot selection, and it's become an issue for the Indiana Fever.
Caitlin Clark can't keep taking these type of shots
Caitlin Clark has taken 63 3-point attempts from 26 feet or deeper, which is at least four feet behind the 3-point line. Marina Mabrey is second in the number of those taken with 44. The only other player to take even half of what Clark has is Natisha Hiedeman. And of these high-volume 3-point shooters taking these shots from way behind the line, Clark has been the least efficient.
Player | Attempts From 26+ Feet | Field Goal Percentage |
|---|---|---|
Clark | 63 | 31.8 |
Mabrey | 44 | 38.6 |
Hiedeman | 34 | 44.1 |
In fact, of the six players with 25 or more such attempts, Clark ranks last in field goal percentage on those shots and is the only one whose effective field goal percentage on these shots is under 50 percent. She's taking bad shots, and she's not making those bad shots.
And look, I get why she's doing this! The whole Caitlin Clark Thing is predicated on her elite shotmaking ability from anywhere on the floor. The problem is that at some point, when those shots stop falling, you become a liability.
Yes, the Indiana Fever have a better offensive rating with Clark on the floor than off the floor, so you could argue it's not hurting them too much, but the team's 3-point percentage is lower with Clark on the court, and if you factor in the defensive rating, the team's net rating is slightly worse when Clark is out there.
This offense could be better! Because let's delve a bit deeper into this.
Distance | Attempts | Field Goal Percentage |
|---|---|---|
26+ | 63 | 31.75 |
22-25 | 16 | 46.88 |
So, when Clark gets closer to the 3-point line, she ... makes her shots at a very high clip? And yet, she continues to fire away from multiple steps back of the line, and is 15-ish percentage points worse when shooting those shots. Uhh ...
In theory, Clark's ability to shoot from extra-long range warps the court in a way that opens things up for the Fever, but she has to actually make those shots at some point to make that whole "thing" work, you know? If she keeps being a sub-optimal shooter from 26-plus feet while still continuing to fire those up at a rate that far exceeds the rest of the league, well ... I mean, what are you doing?
I know it's the charm of Clark's game. It's the thing that's drawn her acclaim, that's drawn her legions of fans, that's really changed the viewing habits of every person I encounter in the state of Iowa, but does it even matter if those shots are misses and the Fever end up scoring fewer points per game than they should because of it?
More WNBA news and analysis:
Add us as a preferred source on Google