ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith feels comfortable declaring Caitlin Clark the second-best player on the Indiana Fever.
Despite finishing Thursday night's game against the Las Vegas Aces with 20 points and eight assists, Clark has received a lot of backlash for her shortcomings in crunch time. For starters, she missed a pair of free throws with the Fever leading 75-72 with seven seconds. That opened the door for Chelsea Gray to hit a game-tying 3-pointer. Clark later had a turnover with roughly seconds left in overtime that set up Gray's game-winning shot at the buzzer.
During this Friday's episode of "First Take," Smith suggested that Kelsey Mitchell should've had the ball in her hands for the Fever's final possession in overtime. After all, he believes the four-time All-Star is the best player on Indiana's roster.
"I'm a fan of Caitlin Clark, but the best player on the Indiana Fever is Kelsey Mitchell," said Smith. "That's not disrespect to Caitlin Clark - she can play. The point is Kelsey Mitchell is averaging 24 points per game and three less turnovers per game than Caitlin Clark."
Mitchell has certainly played at an MVP level for the Fever this season, scoring 24.1 points per contest. Make no mistake though, Clark has been highly productive for her squad (averaging 21.5 points and 8.0 assists per game).
Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images.
Fans torn on this take.
While some fans agree with Smith about Mitchell being the Fever's best player, others think he's overreacting over one game.
"Finally!!! You all are two years late!!! Kelsey is top 5 player in the WNBA," one fan said.
"Just say u don’t watch but look at numbers," a second fan argued. "She didn't handle the ball to turn it over more. She does not pass."
"He's not lying .. strictly with a basketball eye you can clearly see who is the more skilled player and it's not close," another fan wrote.
"That loss is on Clark, and she will have to wear it until she has an opportunity to play again But to make a blanket statement that she isn’t clutch when she made game winning plays against the Storm/Mystics is a bridge too far," a social media user wrote.
Clark will return to action this Saturday against the Chicago Sky. She won't be lacking motivation, that's for sure.
