Caitlin Clark's Impact and Potential on Team USA Basketball
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00:00It is super easy to see why you drop a Tyrese Halliburton on a Team USA, because of the
00:09shots he can create for others, and the fact that that's what he wants to do.
00:15So I make that point to say, J-Y, again, could you imagine Kaitlyn Clark on this Team USA
00:22roster?
00:23The idea that she would not make them better over certain players?
00:29To me, I just cannot accept, and I'm wondering how you feel watching Clark continue to get
00:34better.
00:35I'm starting to have a little bit more of a tough time with it.
00:42I'm coming more around because her progression has been great, and I think her progression
00:49has been a great part of the fact that her teammates are playing better.
00:53So I can see that point of why Kaitlyn could be there, because if you want her to be just
01:00a sheer facilitator, give people the ball, and not bomb away from three, take a bomb
01:05away from three once in a while, then I could see the point.
01:10The question then becomes is, who does she replace?
01:15And the bigger issue is the fact that I think Team USA basketball have had these ladies
01:21together for about two and a half years.
01:24They brought Kaitlyn Clark a little weight into the fold, which didn't give her a fair
01:29enough chance to show a selection committee that she deserved the spot.
01:34I'm not going to lie, and I think for me, the game that changed me with Kaitlyn was
01:43the Liberty game last weekend, because that was a big spot.
01:47They were losing, she carried into the finish line, and she was uber-aggressive and uber-effective.
01:55Once that game got there, I said, oh, she's top ten, top twelve in the world.
02:02Like, that's all I needed to see.
02:05And then I started watching, like, ready, and I noticed this is going to be a wild take.
02:09One of the best players in the WNBA is considered to be Alyssa Thomas.
02:17She does a lot of things, but she can't score.
02:21And you can slug off of her.
02:23You can take her away.
02:24And if you watch Connecticut, they've kind of folded back a little bit to the pack because
02:28she's not able to score.
02:31I mean, Kevin, she's got ten points in her last two games.
02:35Kaitlyn Clark can give you ten points in five minutes.
02:39And she's not terribly off in the rebound.
02:42The rebound she has, but the assists are close.
02:46So to me, for star power, I've come around because I think she belongs.
02:52I just think the question is going to be, if she's on the team, are people going to
02:55be comfortable with her playing eight, ten minutes a night and not twenty, twenty-five?