Caitlin Clark Is The Most Dynamic Talent In Women’s Basketball, But Jay Williams Won’t Call Her “Great” Without A Championship

Matt Fitzgerald·
CULTURESPORTS
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Caitlin Clark Iowa
Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

It’s unclear what else Iowa superstar Caitlin Clark would have to do to be considered “great” if people don’t consider her as such yet. She has singular shooting talent, is the NCAA women’s all-time leading scorer and elevates the play of those around her as the national leader in assists, too.

ESPN analyst, ex-Duke star and former No. 1 overall NBA draft pick Jay Williams believes Clark needs a national championship to stake her claim to greatness.

Agree to disagree, J-Will — and I know I’m not alone in sporting this opinion.

Plenty more where that came from, but I’ll cap it there. Caitlin Clark is legitimately the most exciting women’s basketball player I’ve ever seen.

All due respect to the WNBA and the league’s recent rise in popularity, Clark’s arrival to the professional ranks is going to change the sport.

There are very few hoopers, male or female, whose shot selection I’ve openly laughed at. Steph Curry is one. Caitlin Clark is another. Both were in positive/affirming ways, because I couldn’t believe how far out they had the audacity to shoot the ball, and how often they were making them.

Another guy who comes to mind in this vein is Russell Westbrook, only for him, his shot selection has been so comically bad that it’s a dubious honor to be in that sort of company.

Look at how ridiculous Clark’s range is. The numbers don’t lie!

It sure feels like Clark raises her game when the stage is the biggest, and she certainly did that en route to the scoring record in her last contest.

That’s greatness slapping thousands upon thousands of viewers in the face right there. No clue what J-Will is looking at. Maybe he’s trying to be an edgy hot take artist. I know fellas like Skip Bayless have made a career off such tactics.

We’re less than two months out from the WNBA Draft, where Clark would presumably go No. 1 overall to the Indiana Fever and team up with last year’s top pick, Aliyah Boston. In last year’s Final Four, Clark’s Hawkeyes knocked off Boston’s previously 36-0 South Carolina squad to advance to the national championship game. It’d be pretty cool to see them on the same side in the pros.

Jay Williams needs to work on his take-baking skills, or just watch maybe one full Iowa women’s basketball game to get the full Caitlin Clark experience. Wouldn’t be surprised at all to see him walk this back as soon as a week from now. It’s quite simply one of the worst takes in modern sports history.

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