Caitlin Clark picked up right where she left off after the WNBA All-Star break. The Indiana Fever star delivered one of her best performances of the season on Tuesday, finishing with 32 points, seven rebounds and five assists to lead Indiana to a 105-95 road victory over the Seattle Storm.
Clark has enjoyed the best season of her WNBA career, averaging 21.5 points, 7.9 assists and 3.8 rebounds in 24 games. The three-time All-Star is also posting career highs in efficiency, shooting 44.3% from the field and 35.4% from three-point range, while helping the Fever to the league’s fifth best record.
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Despite her production, USA Today Sports projected Clark as a Second Team All-WNBA selection in its latest awards predictions, with Paige Bueckers earning the nod on the First Team instead.
The prediction quickly sparked debate across social media, with many Fever fans arguing Clark’s body of work warrants First Team recognition.
“It's pretty clear that Caitlin has pissed off someone high up at USA Today,” a fan posted.
“Caitlin is second in assists and points. The [expletive],” added another.
“‘Per USA Today’ tells me everything I need to know. 🤣🤣 they’ve been pushing questionable Caitlin Clark narratives all season” wrote a third.
“CC is not second team. @USATODAY sports has many CC haters in it,” another fan reacted.
“1 player from the Fever making all WNBA first team and it's not Kelsey Mitchell nor Caitlin? Smh this list is trash,” one fan said.
“USA Today hates Caitlin or to they want clicks and shares,” another concluded.
Bueckers has also put together an outstanding campaign of her own. The Dallas Wings guard is averaging 20.7 points, 6.2 assists and 4.2 rebounds in 26 games, while shooting a career-best 51.4% from the field and 38.8% from three. The Wings and Fever are tied at 18-10, though Dallas owns the tiebreaker after its 107-104 victory over Indiana on opening night.
With 16 regular-season games remaining, the All-WNBA race is far from settled. Clark and Bueckers will have more opportunities to strengthen their respective cases, including when the Fever host the Wings on Aug. 14, before the teams meet again in Dallas on Aug. 20. Those matchups could ultimately help determine which of the two stars earns First Team honors at season’s end.
