Two big updates regarding Team USA have dominated the headlines in the last two days. One, A’ja Wilson and Co. swept Japan in an easy 102-76 win. Second, Dawn Staley’s comments on Caitlin Clark’s snub. Back in Lille, the women’s basketball team achieved their 56th consecutive win in Olympic history. However, a simple admission of, “If we had to do it all over again,” took all the eyes away from the 26-point victory. While the fans have already shown their reaction to what the South Carolina head coach said, it is time for ESPN’s analyst to give her views.

In the recent episode of her podcast, Elle Duncan broke down Staley’s words. She straight out mentioned how the Hall of Famer got herself into a sticky situation when it came to Caitlin Clark. According to Duncan, “It’s like she really can’t win in this situation.” Giving her perspective on the same, she added on The Elle Duncan Show, “She’s kind of like damned if she does and damned if she doesn’t, though. I think the problem here is that she was being honest. Like yes, if you judge Caitlin on how she’s playing right now, it looked like an Olympic snub. It did not seven weeks ago when we chose this team.”

Explaining to her co-host Gary what people were thinking right now, Duncan said, “She was like, ‘Yes people, this version of Caitlin Clark 100% could have been in consideration to be on that Olympic team’. If she goes the other way and says, ‘Well we stand by with what we did and we still don’t think that Caitlin is good’, then everyone’s calling Dawn a hater.”

The SportsCenter anchor has been on Team USA’s side to not include Caitlin Clark in the Olympics roster. The reason? Exactly what the USWBNT committee has said. No chemistry, no experience, and no great numbers. She resonated with Staley, saying that she was being honest. Seven weeks ago, the Indiana Fever rookie was not giving the stats that she has since the snub. Duncan also mentioned how the first overall pick was leading in turnovers. This could have been a cause of worry for Team USA in Paris.

What changed Dawn Staley’s mind for Caitlin Clark?

Team USA announced its 12-player roster on June 11. Then, Caitlin Clark’s Fever was on a losing streak. Moreover, since they did not have enough chemistry, the rookie was either becoming the victim of physicality or her passes turned into turnovers. While she is still leading the league in the TO category, her other numbers have exponentially improved. This makes her case better to be an Olympian, as Dawn Staley mentioned.

While sitting with NBC Sports’ Mike Tirico, the USBWNT selection committee member said, “If we had to do it all over again, the way that she’s playing, she would be in really high consideration of making the team. She is playing head and shoulders above a lot of people.” Currently, the rookie is leading the entire league in assists (8.2) and is putting up 17.1 points per game. She is also leading all the rookies in these aspects and in minutes per game.

Certainly, Caitlin Clark has figured out how to effectively involve her teammates. Moreover, they have returned to the practice facility after a short break to continue building up on the bond right where they left off. Hence, we can expect the Indiana Fever to do much better in the coming days. Especially because they have one of the easiest schedules now after a rough road in the opening weeks.

Stay tuned for more such updates and join us for the exciting pilot episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and SEC All-Freshman Team Selection, Silas Demary Jr.