Point Guards In Action: A Closer Look Into NCAA Stars Paige Bueckers and Caitlin Clark’s Unique Gameplay

One is dropping game as well as jaws with her spectacular show, while the other is creating ruckus with her return. In this supposedly new contest between the two point guards of the college basketball circuit, a comparison is being drawn between their skills and showmanship.

As the 2023-24 NCAA women’s basketball regular season tipped off on 6 November, the fans are excited to see young stars in action. Two such outstanding players who have made quite a name for themselves are the University of Connecticut Huskies star Paige Bueckers and her contemporary the Iowa Hawkeyes star Caitlin Clark. But what makes one different from the other? 

On which page is Paige?

Paige Bueckers is regarded as one of the best players of her generation in college basketball. She has been complemented by various critics and basketball stars. While the South Carolina Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley called her “generational player”, former Huskies star Diana Taurasi acknowledged her as “the best player in basketball”

Standing 6 feet tall, Bueckers is an exceptional point guard. Her slim physique helps her be agile on the court, increasing her athleticism. The 22-year-old is one of the best passers which contributes in her setting up good baskets for her team. She is a playmaker who has described herself as “pass-first” player.

Due to her slender frame, opponents usually play her through contact which she tackles with her swiftness. The 2021 Naismith College Player of the Year is efficient at anticipating the move of her rivals during their defense and takes sound decisions at appropriate times.

Her playmaking skills do not discourage her from besotting exemplary three-pointers and dunking at the rim. The pull-up jump shot has been one of the ancillary weapons in her armor. For her playing style, she is often compared to Taurasi.

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Overall, Bueckers has scored at an average of 17.8 points with striking rebounds of 4.6 points per contest and 5.1 assists per match. She has a phenomenal field goal percentage of 52.7% and a three-pointer field goal of 43.2 %.

Can Caitlin Clark match up to Bueckers’ talent?

Caitlin Clark’s game is similar to Bueckers in the sense that she too loves three-pointers and logo threes. She is often compared to the NBA legend Steph Curry for his distance shooting. With a shooting percentage of 42.1%, Clark has shown a better game of shooting beyond 25 feet. She has admitted that her favorite part of the game is transitional offense, and logo threes.

Clark is quite the alpha for her team the Iowa Hawkeyes since she has the highest 40 pointers (9) in the women’s college basketball circuit. She has already eclipsed the WNBA star Sabrina Ionescu in having the highest number of 25+ points, 5+ assists and 5+ rebounds in the college basketball circuit.

Clark is also considered a growing competitor to the New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart. Regarded as the top prospect of the 2024 WNBA class, Clark has proved her mettle at the college basketball stage and all eyes are on her. Her shooting game sometimes gets her lesser credibility for her assist play. But Clark is as competent a passer as she is in her three-pointers. Last year she was leading assist player consecutively for the second year.

She also became the first player in the college basketball circuit irrespective of gender to have more than 900 points and 300 assists in a season. Her pairing with the centre Monika Czinano was delight to watch as she was an expert in pick and roll. Overall, Clark averaged a whopping 27.3 points per game with 7 rebounds per contest and 8 assists per match. She had a field goal percentage of 46.6% and a three-pointer percentage of 37.7%. 

For the delight of the college basketball fans, Clark chose to stay a fifth year with the Iowa Hawkeyes and hopefully will propel them to an NCAA Championship title this year before making waves in the WNBA.

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Clark and Bueckers have been equally essential for their teams and have played responsible roles. It only remains to be seen which one will emerge victorious in the title battle.