While most fans basked in the bickering and emotional roller coaster that has defined the early season coverage of the new and improved WNBA, there was a high-level battle going on Friday night between the No. 1, No. 2 and No. 4 overall picks in the 2024 WNBA Draft.
While that should have been the headline narrative for WNBA action leading into the weekend, this constant cycle of Caitlin Clark love and hate and discussions about how people should feel and should not feel about her personally have drowned out the actual elite play on the court.
Cailtin Clark and Cameron Brink Trade Clutch Daggers Late
Clark of course was the highly-touted No. 1 overall pick of the Indiana Fever. Stanford’s Cameron Brink was the No. 2 overall pick. The 6-foot-4, versatile shot-blocker has been asserting herself on the defensive end over the first four games of her WNBA career.
Brink, the god sister of Golden State Warriors legend Stephen Curry, also has her share of IG followers (950K) and endorsement deals with New Balance and other companies. Her arrival into the NBA hasn’t been covered with the same fanfare that Clark’s has, but Brink is performing just as well this season and some would say she outperformed Clark in their first head-to-head matchup, which the Indiana Fever came back to win 78-73.
Clark hit two huge threes to help seal the win after struggling in the first half. She shot miserably from three over the course of the game (2-of-9), but came up clutch when it mattered, finishing with 11 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists on 4-of-14 shooting. She also played a season-high 37 minutes.
Brink played a great game on both ends of the floor. Her defense was solid as usual with several blocks and nine rebounds. However, her offensive game, which continues to expand since arriving in the WNBA, allowed her to score 15 points on post moves and some long-range bombing. It’s an aspect of her game that Brink said she didn’t get to showcase as much as she wanted in college.
Rickea Jackson Is About That Action: Best Pure Scorer In Draft
If you’re keeping score, No. 4 overall pick Rickea Jackson was better than both Clark and Brink when it comes to getting easy buckets.
That should have been the narrative the WNBA was promoting. Jackson had her breakout game as a pro and on the season she is hitting 54.8 percent from the field and almost 56 percent from three.
She’s actually being undercovered and might be the best offensive player in the 2024 Draft, Clark included. So far this season, Jackson is the only WNBA 2024 rookie currently averaging 10+ points while shooting above 50%.
The media is going to keep going to the well and trying to incite trouble because most have never even covered women’s basketball before and don’t have a genuine interest in it.
“Over the last couple of months, I feel like I talk to the media more than I get a chance to talk to my own family,” Clark told reporters after her first career WNBA win. Which is kind of sad in a way, which is a lot for someone 22 years old. Nights like tonight remind me of why I started playing basketball.”
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Clark spoke to basketball being the reason why she is even in this position and despite the media circus she still finds peace in playing ball, even if all of the things that come with it are getting to be a bit overwhelming.
So, the storylines that should be celebrated probably won’t be all season. Both the Fever and Sparks were picked to finish at the bottom of the league and both teams have been fighting, allowing their rookies to grow and seem to have a great core for future success.
For now, it will be a love or hate Caitlin Clark narrative where some try to unfathomably make her a victim and others refuse to give her the props she deserves.
Message To the Media: Just don’t’ forget about the real story and how this 2024 WNBA Draft is shaping up to be the most talented ever.
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