About a month ago, Indiana Fever head coach Christie Sides issued an objective for her new rookie superstar Caitlin Clark: take more midrange shots. So far, the guard hasn’t followed the directive.
“I think she’s used to some shots that she’s taken in the last few years that are just those deep shots,” Sides told reporters about Clark last month. “There’s times she comes off ball screens where she’s open in that long 2 area, and we’ve got to get her comfortable taking that long 2.”
Clark separated herself as the unquestioned No. 1 pick in April’s WNBA Draft after four years in Iowa’s 5-out, modern offensive setup, but early acute efficiency and turnover woes saw Sides advise the former Hawkeye to incorporate more long-2 into her shot selection. Those deep midranges are stereotypically beloved by old-school basketball minds and disliked by analytic-first thinkers who believe them to be inefficient.
Currently enjoying one of her most efficient scoring streaks at any level, averaging 17.3 points per game on a staggering 67.1 percent true shooting clip, Clark has yet to rely on the midrange area. The Fever star has tried just eight of them the entire season – 3.6 percent of her total shooting attempts – maintaining a longer-ranged shot selection than any other player in the league.
The WNBA defines mid-range shots as any attempts inside the 3-point line and outside the painted area, and further evaluation of Clark’s shots leaves the total of eight from the WNBA’s official website looking a bit generous. Three of these tries were glorified layup attempts taken steps away from the right block, and one appears to be a scoring error that suggests Clark attempted a 16-foot running layup, meaning the Indiana rookie has taken just four jump shots from the mid-range in 223 WNBA field-goal attempts.
A broader look at Clark’s shot chart, however, offers a look at her truly transformative approach to scoring in the WNBA. The sweet-stroking phenom has attempted 145 3-pointers, hardly a surprise for those who have followed her record-setting collegiate career and the surging popularity associated with her audacious long-range shooting.
Clark broke the NCAA scoring record with a long-range three (
Image:
Getty Images)
“You all know I was gonna shoot a logo 3 for the record. Come on now,” Clark famously quipped after surpassing Pete Maravich for the all-time NCAA scoring record this past season.
Another 48 of Clark’s shot attempts have come inside the restricted area, a four-foot arc underneath the basket, meaning that a remarkable 86 percent of her field goal tries come either at the rim or beyond the three-point arc.
Only 13 WNBA players boast a higher scoring average than Clark this season, none of whom maintain comparable distributions — New York Liberty star Jonquel Jones comes the closest at 78 percent of her attempts at the rim or beyond the arc, and recent Olympic 3×3 selection Derica Hamby is the only other player above 70 percent.
It was another tremendous outing for Clark last time out, as she notched 17 points and a Fever franchise record of 13 assists. She still couldn’t match fellow rookie sensation Angel Reese, however, who became the first rookie since A’ja Wilson to total more than 25 points and 15 rebounds, ultimately leading her Sky to a thrilling one-point victory. Clark returns to action Thursday as she travels west to face Jewel Loyd and the Seattle Storm.
