Caitlin Clark fans completely took over social media when they noticed the starting lineups for Team USA’s first game in the FIBA Women’s World Cup, as head coach Kara Lawson chose Chelsea Gray over the Indiana Fever phenomenon Caitlin Clark. Most in favor of Clark argued she should have been a starter because of her popularity and drawing power, but one fan on X took his stance one step ahead.

Park Du-Moon, a WNBA fan, went down to the nitty-gritty and showed a statistic where Clark blows every single player on both teams out of the water: the plus/minus. The user’s graph showed Clark’s plus/minus in Team USA’s 94-61 victory over China was a whopping 30, while Gray was the penultimate player on the list, with a plus/minus of 3.

“The game vs China proves why Caitlin Clark must start as point guard,” the fan wrote in their post before adding more.

Ultimately, USA did triumph 94-61 over China, with Gray making one of her four three-point attempts and finishing with five points. Clark, on the other hand, made four out of thirteen and finished with 14 points.

“Starting Gray instead is seen as prioritizing hierarchy over immediate production. Team USA should know —that Clark’s presence drove international mainstream attention and media coverage to the World Cup,” Du-Moon further wrote on X.

USA Today’s Meghan Hall reported on Friday that Lawson decided to start the tournament with veterans who previously have experience in FIBA competitions. Considering that Breanna Stewart, Napheesa Collier, Kahleah Copper, and Jackie Young were also part of the starting lineup, Gray getting the nod over Clark makes sense.

But coming back to Clark, the Fever guard announced herself on the global stage in some fashion, showing everyone why she is one of the frontrunners to win the WNBA MVP award this season.

With 25 minutes spent on the hardwood, Clark ended up playing the most for Team USA. And she very well made those extra minutes count. Clark did not turn the ball over once and finished with 14 points, 3 rebounds, and 11 assists in her major tournament debut at the senior level. Her 14 points were tied with Paige Bueckers and Rhyne Howard, while her 11 assists surpassed all players on the court, the next best being Bueckers with four.

Clark was named FIBA Player of the Game and broke several records for Team USA along the way.

CBS Sports also noted how Clark became the first Team USA player to provide double-digit assists in a game since 1998. Her 11 assists were the most ever by a Team USA player in their World Cup debut, and also the most assists without a single turnover.

To top it off, Clark’s double-double of points and assists was the first for Team USA at a major international event since Teresa Edwards (20 points, 15 assists) at the 1996 Olympics.

While Clark fans were livid that she did not start her first major international game, the Fever star showed gratitude following the game and paid her respects to the veterans who won gold before she was even called up to the national team.

“Just super excited. Being surrounded by five people that have won gold medals before at the highest level, you just try to follow their lead and take every bit of wisdom that they can give you,” Clark said. “Whatever role I have, I’m gonna come in and do it to the best of my ability and play hard. I think that’s what’s so fun about it.”

During her exemplary rookie year, Clark was infamously not called up for the 2024 Paris Olympics, where Team USA eventually won gold. So in that way, Clark knows the difficulty of reaching the top of the mountain, and her statement after the game reflects that to the fullest.

Team USA will now tip things off against Italy, and it will be interesting to see if Lawson slowly starts gravitating towards Clark as the main point guard following her exemplary display on Friday.