In the ever-evolving narrative of Caitlin Clark’s career, the basketball prodigy has gone from being hailed as the “female Stephen Curry” to anointed by Skip Bayless as the “lady John Stockton.” Yes, you read that right—Skip Bayless, the maestro of hot takes, has once again stirred the pot, serving up a fresh comparison that has left fans and analysts scratching their heads and chuckling in equal measure.
Clark’s College vs. WNBA: A Tale of Two Styles
During her tenure with the Iowa Hawkeyes, Clark was the darling of the court, raining down threes like there was no tomorrow and dazzling fans with her scoring antics. She was the kind of player who could drain a shot from the logo and make it look like she was flicking a fly off her shoulder. Naturally, comparisons to Stephen Curry, the NBA’s own long-range marksman, were inevitable.
Fast forward to her WNBA days, and while the jaw-dropping scoring has taken a slight dip, her playmaking has skyrocketed. So much so that Skip Bayless, never one to shy away from a juicy soundbite, has now dubbed her the “female John Stockton.” On a recent episode of The Skip Bayless Show, he mused, “We went from seeing her as the female Steph Curry, draining logo threes with a flick of the wrist, to now calling her the female John Stockton. It’s like watching a unicorn turn into a passing wizard overnight!”
The “Passing Wizard” and Her Magical Turnovers
Bayless’s comparison came on the heels of Clark’s own revelation during a post-game interview where she admitted, “I sometimes lose sight of the basket.” Apparently, in her quest to feed her teammates—like a generous chef with a penchant for turnovers—she’s forgotten she’s still one of the best scorers on the court. Indeed, while her assists are piling up—Clark leads the league with 213 assists, a whopping 41 more than the next best—so are her turnovers, with the rookie racking up over 145.
This shift in her game hasn’t gone unnoticed. Bayless, ever the critic, argued that her natural playstyle is more Curry than Stockton, but necessity has forced her into a role where she’s dishing out dimes more often than she’s dropping bombs from beyond the arc. It’s a move that might just be her Achilles’ heel in the race for the coveted Rookie of the Year award.
The Rookie of the Year Race: A Tale of Two Contenders
Speaking of that race, Bayless added more fuel to the fire with his recent post on social media platform X, declaring, “I still have Angel slightly for R of the Y over Caitlin… Hard to look past Caitlin’s record-shattering turnovers. But this race changes nightly.” And he might not be wrong. Chicago Sky’s Angel Reese has been turning heads with her own performances, making the Rookie of the Year contest a thrilling back-and-forth that could go down to the wire.
As we approach the season’s halfway mark, the debate over who should win the Rookie of the Year is heating up. Fans, analysts, and players alike are split, with some backing Clark’s all-around game and others favoring Reese’s more traditional scoring prowess. Whatever the outcome, it’s clear that both players will need to bring their A-game to clinch the title.
In the end, whether Caitlin Clark is the female Stephen Curry, the lady John Stockton, or just Caitlin Clark—the rookie sensation rewriting the script—is a debate that will continue to entertain. For now, we can all sit back and enjoy the show, turnovers and all.
