Team USA has plenty to celebrate after finishing the 2026 FIBA World Cup group stage undefeated. Yet amid three straight wins, much of the conversation surrounding the Americans has continued to circle back to Caitlin Clark and what she is – or isn’t – producing on the stat sheet. And that has not sat well with NBA legend Ron Harper.

Michael Jordan’s former Chicago Bulls teammate pushed back against those continuing to scrutinize Clark’s individual performance despite Team USA’s dominant 105-64 win over Czechia.

“Why all these fans worry about CC stats on the USA woman team they never care about winning and she do.. go kick rocks,” Harper wrote on X.

Caitlin Clark was never expected to have the same responsibilities with Team USA that she carries with the Indiana Fever. Still, her last two group-stage appearances have put her numbers under an especially close lens. The 24-year-old went 0-for-6 from the field against Italy to finish the game with one point, four rebounds, one assist and one steal.

It was one of the roughest shooting performances of her career, but Clark was far from the only American who struggled in that game. Team USA scored just 55 points – the lowest total in the last 42 years in the program’s World Cup history.

In the next matchup, Clark bounced back somewhat against Czechia, recording nine points and seven assists as the Americans cruised to the quarterfinals. Her shooting, however, once again became a talking point. She went 3-for-8 from the field and 1-for-6 from three-point range.

For a player whose reputation is tied to her ability to knock down shots from deep and who is currently one of the top scorers in the WNBA, her struggles from beyond the arc have naturally attracted attention. Yet her overall contribution to Team USA has gone beyond her scoring.

With the group stage now finished, Caitlin Clark leads the Americans in assists both per game and overall, with 19 through three games — an average of 6.3 per contest while playing just over 20 minutes a night. Clark is also third in the 2026 FIBA so far for assists with 19, trailing Sevgi Uzun (25) and Julie Allemand (24). She also leads the team in plus/minus. The Americans are +58 through three contests with her on the court.

And that impact has not gone unnoticed by her head coach either. After the recent win over Czechia, Kara Lawson offered a measured assessment of Clark’s performance so far.

“I think Caitlin’s done a solid job in this tournament. Taking the right shots at the right times,” the coach said during her postgame media appearance. “That’s normal for any shooter. You know, to have stretches where you’re hot. Stretches where you’re a little bit cold.”

It is worth noting that Caitlin Clark made an immediate impact in her senior national team tournament debut against China, finishing with 14 points, 11 assists, and no turnovers. Her assists in that game set a USA World Cup debut record and marked the most assists without a turnover.

“She provides a great playmaking aspect to her game. We rely on her at the point-guard position when she’s in to run the team. We saw that in the first game when she had 11 assists and zero turnovers. She’s another young player that’s feeling her way through her first World Cup. She’s really motivated and wanting to help our team win. And I think that’s a great place to be,” Lawson added.

But being one of the biggest stars on the floor, her individual numbers will continue to draw attention, even when her value to this team extends beyond her scoring, and the Americans have yet to lose with her on the floor.

Team USA will now turn its attention to the quarterfinals, where it will face the winner of Hungary and Japan. So with the group stage now behind them, Caitlin Clark has an opportunity to turn the attention back toward what matters most once the games become more consequential.