The WNBA has completely transformed over the last several seasons, and that is because of a major influx of young talent. Players have certainly come along over the years and changed the way that the game is played, but the new wave of players is changing the way that the game is perceived.
Exciting stars with storied rivalries like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese have taken the WNBA to new heights, but they were able to build this on the backs of players like A'ja Wilson, Sabrina Ionescu and Arike Ogunbowale, who began captivating audiences at the college level, much like Clark and Reese did on a national stage.
While it is nearly impossible to rank and compare the plethora of elite players now in the league, the exercise is important because it encourages us to think critically about the best players in the game. Sabrina Ionescu came out as the No. 4 ranked player in our WNBA35, and Clark was just behind her at No. 5.
READ MORE: FanSided's WNBA35, ranking the best players in the WNBA this season
Sabrina Ionescu is ranked higher than Caitlin Clark in WNBA35
It is important to look at the big picture to understand why Ionescu edged out Clark in this ranking. If the ultimate goal for any player, especially a point guard, is to make those around you better and help your team win, nobody did that better than Ionescu did this season.
A simple fact remains: Ionescu led her team to a WNBA Championship, but Clark could not take her team past the first round of the playoffs. While it is difficult to be too hard on Clark for not winning a title in her first professional campaign, she does not get any slack because she is a rookie.
Ionescu had impressive averages of 18.2 points, 6.2 assists and 4.4 rebounds per contest last year, and she was incredibly efficient. She shot 39.4 percent from the floor, including 33.3 percent from the 3-point line, and added an 89.8 percent clip at the line.
She also had one of the highest usage ratings in the league, but only averaged 2.7 turnovers per game. Ionescu also had this production as the secondary option on her team behind Breanna Stewart, which is no easy task given the way that Stewart plays.
Clark's averages were certainly better across the board, but the two's efficiency ratings were quite similar, outside of one key outlier. During her rookie season, Clark averaged 5.6 turnovers per game, which is a particularly brutal mark for any point guard. She also did this with a lower usage rating than Ionescu, which means she was far too careless with the ball during her first season.
It is true that Clark beat out Ionescu for a spot on the All-WNBA First-Team and earned more MVP votes than she did, but that is not always a true measure of how great a player is. Ionescu has spent five seasons showcasing her abilities on the court, whereas Clark has only played a single year.
When comparing two players, it is easy at times to focus on who is more exciting or who performed better in a vacuum. But when these two players have their careers evaluated side-by-side, Ionescu is the winner because she has several comparable campaigns as well as a championship ring on her side.
Time may look back unkindly on this debate if Clark ends up ascending on the trajectory that most believe she is capable of. However, in this moment, Ionescu is still rated higher because of what she has achieved, not what she may achieve in the future.
Clark is certainly the most transformational player that the league has ever seen, and her abilities on the court cannot be denied. She is already one of the best players in the WNBA, and she is seemingly climbing the ladder faster than any player in history. But Ionescu is still considered the better player right now until proven otherwise.