Rebecca Lobo: 'Caitlin Clark is getting an unprecedented amount of defensive attention' for a WNBA rookie
ESPN’s Rebecca Lobo noticed Caitlin Clark received a lot of defensive attention throughout the beginning of her rookie season with the Indiana Fever.
On a larger scale, the hits and fouls she absorbed to this point have been a contentious topic. It ranged from jealousy, good and bad for the WNBA, you name it, it’s probably been said.
Lobo broke down what she saw on film, which was simply basketball 101 in guarding a prolific shooter.
“Caitlin Clark is getting an unprecedented amount of defensive attention when you watch her play on the basketball court,” Lobo said on Get Up. “I’ve been going back and watching film from Sabrina Ionescu when she was a rookie, Kelsey Plum when she was a rookie, other players that came in with a lot of hype. None of them were being guarded 94 feet from the basket when they did not have the basketball in their hands.
“None of them were being guarded 35 to 40 feet from the basket when they didn’t have the ball and they were on the weak side of the floor. She is getting all kinds of defensive attention as she should. She is the player who is going to be the one who helps Indiana win basketball games.”
In 11 games this season, Clark averages 15.6 points per game, 5.1 rebounds per game, 6.4 assists per game, shoots 35.7% from the floor and 29.7% from three-point range. Not too shabby for a rookie?
Clark was the No. 1 overall pick out of Iowa for a reason. She is the NCAAs all-time leading scorer and elevated the sport to new heights.
So if Clark received her “welcome to the league moment,” it’s just typical basketball plays and sometimes calls are missed. In the heat of competition, it’s not always on the player in that scenario, as Lobo laid out.
“That being said, have there been hard fouls on her that have not been called? Yes, these are basketball plays,” Lobo said. “That’s not on the players, that’s on the officials. I don’t think she’s getting the benefit of the doubt at times from the officials. But I do not think the other players in the league are targeting her in a dirty way. Certainly not one that is fueled by jealousy. They’re just coming at her as competitors.”
That won’t be the first or last time Clark sees that kind of defensive attention. Until she adjusts the pro game with more experience, the hits will keep on coming. But as Lobo said, it’s the competitive nature of the seasoned vets in the WNBA.
The ESPN analyst and Basketball Hall of Famer practically posed the question: would play Clark hard or just let her own you offensively? How players and teams move forward after this last weekend remains to be seen.