Is Caitlin Clark the WNBA’s answer to Stephen Curry? Her range beyond the arc to score three-pointers with relative ease and rack up big numbers in nearly every game is what has drawn comparisons to the four-time NBA Champion. We have had the likes of Shaquille O’Neal doubling on this narrative and Clark’s performance in Fever’s recent outing has only added to the notion.

The rookie dropped a career-high 35 points and 8 assists against the Dallas Wings in the September 15 game. The Fever edged out with a 110-109 win as they look forward to their last game of the season. Over the last three weeks, the Fever has been in the middle of a comeback, and for the most part, Clark’s performance has been at the center of their revival. The heart of the Fever’s success was a strategy that mirrored the Warriors’ plays with Steph Curry.

We’ve all seen how Curry constantly moves on the offensive end. So much so that players have admitted he is more dangerous off the ball. Well, the Fever may have taken notes, as the striking similarity is seen in almost every game with their record-breaking rookie. Running plays like the Stagger Twirl, Gut Chicago, and others have been utilized by Clark and her team.

Similarly, Flex is a staple in Fever’s Clark strategy. It works well for them because of screen-the-screener principles, which are difficult to guard against if the defense is not in coordination about which screens to switch. In fact, Indiana Fever used this strategy in May during the game against the Los Angeles Sparks. It starts with Clark setting a flex screen for her teammate to cut along the baseline and so, she immediately receives a down screen to open on the perimeter to shoot.

GSW has been using Flex with Curry for years and interestingly, this started was also used by him during Team USA’s Olympic run. Other than that, we have also seen how Fever have also used the Stagger Twirl, mirroring the Warriors’ strategy for Curry. It involves keeping two shooters in the screening action away from the ball. This makes it difficult for the opposition to deal with the attackers as defenses try to stay attached to both of them. The Fever have used Clark in a very similar set.

They have provided her with the same staggered screen before another player curls Clark’s screen and she comes off the second screen for a jumper. These strategies have yielded results for the Fever as they are in post-season WNBA Playoffs for the first time since 2016.

The team had a dismal start to the season and were down by 1-8 in the opening month. However, four home wins and three away wins in the next month slowly helped them turn things around. Improvements throughout the season meant they qualified for the playoffs as sixth seeds and Clark continued to show her dominance.

Clark’s eight assists against the Dallas Wings took her tally to 329 a single-season WNBA record. She also broke the rookie record for most points in a season with 761 points this season, going past the mark set by Seimone Augustus (744) in 2006.

Another interesting stat comes from Clark’s shooting distance. The WNBA’s three-point line is just over 22 feet, whereas the three-point line in the NBA is 23.9 feet long. And quite surprisingly, Clark’s average three-point shot distance has been 28.09 feet in her rookie year! To put it into perspective, this average distance is more than Damian Lillard, Trae Young, and Steph Curry’s in their best seasons.

Now, as similar as she might be to Steph in terms of scoring three-pointers, the NBA player doesn’t want the comparisons to overshadow Clark’s hard work. The Olympic champion believes these comparisons are unfair to Clark and take away from her diverse skill set.

“But I think it almost robs her of like the rest of her game because she’s such a good floor, you know she has her overall, you know, floor game, she’s racking up, you know, close to triple-doubles every night. And, like, her shooting ability is, you know, it’s her superpower, but the rest of her game is as polished as that, and so this is must-see TV,” Curry told CBSMornings in March about Clark’s comparison to his game.

Clearly, Curry wants Clark to be appreciated for her own style of play and what she brings to the table. To stand out among a talented bunch in the WNBA is no easy feat, but Clark has managed to do that and for that, her overall skills need to be appreciated just as Curry mentioned.

Yet the comparisons are hard to stop and Shaquille O’Neal was the recent one to draw the parallels.

Is Caitlin Clark the WNBA version of Stephen Curry?

Often regarded as the current best shooter in the WNBA, Clark might as well be the equivalent of the Chef. She’s leading the league in three-pointers but hasn’t been as consistent. Of course, Clark’s shooting abilities are one-of-a-kind, but she has yet to find her consistency. Other than that, Clark is on her way to having a defining career. As the Fever advances to the playoffs, it will be interesting to see Clark make her postseason debut.

Shaq caught a close glimpse of Clark’s ability as he watched the former Iowa Hawkeyes star drop 31 points against the Chicago Sky on August 30. Speaking to USA Today, Shaq said, “When I see stuff on TV, it’s one thing. But when I saw her live… she’s got that Steph Curry range. She’s making all the right plays, getting everyone involved. She’s the real deal.” The similarities between Curry and Clark don’t end with their style of play.

Both of them elevated their college programs to new heights. Curry wanted to play at Duke or his father’s alma mater, Virginia Tech, but couldn’t get in. However, he landed at Davidson College and went from unknown to a famous national star there. In the year 2008, he led his team to its first NCAA Tournament victory since 1969.

Though Clark was a five-star recruit coming out of high school, she turned down some big names to stay in her home state of Iowa. And her achievements playing for the Hawkeyes are already well known. Both the athletes are record-breakers. So despite Curry asking people to appreciate Clark for other aspects of her game, the comparisons may only grow if she is able to replicate her regular season form into the playoffs.

What are your thoughts on Clark’s comparison to Stephen Curry? Do you think the Warriors’ plays have helped the Fever? Let us know in the comments.

Feel that you can do with another update from the sport of basketball? Then do check out this recent interview with the up-and-coming Georgia Lady Bulldogs star Asia Avinger.