Caitlin Clark’s scoring from outside the arc was one of the key reasons she became so mainstream during her rookie year with the Indiana Fever in 2024. However, that similar scoring output has not translated during her FIBA Women’s World Cup debut for Team USA. Following the impressive 105-64 victory against the Czech Republic, USA head coach Kara Lawson was asked about Clark continuously missing her three-point shot this tournament.
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“I think Caitlin’s done a solid job in this tournament. Taking the right shots at the right times. That’s normal for any shooter. You know, to have stretches where you’re hot. Stretches where you’re a little bit cold.” Lawson said during the postgame press conference.
Caitlin Clark wasn’t in her groove when it came to three-pointers during the group stage, especially in the last two games. She went 0-for-3 against Italy, in a game where she scored only one point off a free throw. But if we take in the bigger picture, the whole team struggled and posted the lowest total in the last 42 years in the program’s World Cup history.
However, her struggles did not finish there, as she went 1-for-6 against Czechia from the three-point line and 3-for-8 on field goals.
Caitlin Clark managed to score 9 points in 21:54 minutes on the hardwood and enabled the offensive output with a game-high of 7 assists. While she did not have the best time shooting, she more than made up for it with her playmaking, which Lawson commended as well.
“She provides a great playmaking aspect to her game. We rely on her at the mid-guard position when she’s in. 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.”
Caitlin Clark tipped off her senior national team debut against China, winning the FIBA Player of the Game after scoring 14 points and 11 assists. To add the cherry on top, it was the most assists ever for a USA player in their World Cup debut and the most assists without a turnover.
Following the end of the group stage, Clark comfortably leads Team USA in assists, both per game and total. In three games, the Fever star recorded 19 assists, averaging 6.3 assists per night in just over 20 minutes.
Caitlin Clark leads all her teammates in plus/minus, and Team USA is +58 when she is on the floor. The next steps in Clark’s journey with Team USA are to be in Lawson’s starting lineup and be present on the court during crunch time.
The veterans took care of things against Italy, but with knockouts arriving and potential opponents like Belgium and France on the horizon, Caitlin Clark needs to step up more than ever before while wearing a USA jersey.