Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark continues to be the most-talked-about player in the FIBA World Cup, thanks to her legion of fans cheering for her and wishing her success. However, the discussions about her haven’t really been entirely positive.
In the three group-stage games that Team USA has played, Clark has averaged 8.0 points, 2.7 rebounds and 6.3 assists. She leads the team in assists and plus-minus rating (19.3), highlighting her impact on the team.
However, many fans are not happy with how head coach Kara Lawson is utilizing Clark. Aside from the fact that she has not started for the national team, several fans also accused her Team USA teammates of ignoring her for plays on the court.
Clark tallied 14 points and 11 assists in her World Cup debut against China, but she hasn’t matched those numbers since. She even failed to make a shot in their game against Italy.
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Amid the various discussions surrounding Clark, five-time NBA champion Ron Harper couldn’t help but notice how some supporters of the Fever guard are more focused on her personal statistics. In contrast, the very player they cheer for is simply focused on winning.
“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.
Considering the loaded talent that Team USA boasts, it’s unlikely that any player on the team will average the same number of points, rebounds or assists that they do with their WNBA teams. Everyone on the team plays at an elite level, which is why the Americans have dominated the competition for decades now.
As Harper emphasized, Team USA is all about winning as a group rather than elevating an individual with their numbers and accolades. Unfortunately, while Clark and the rest of the team understand that, some of their followers just don’t.
