Some fans are already calling Caitlin Clark the best player in the WNBA. It's safe to say that Clark has become the most popular player in the league. In fact, the Indiana Fever guard is currently one of the most popular athletes in all of sports. With that being said, there is an uncomfortable truth about Clark's game that has not often been discussed.
At the moment, Clark is dealing with an injury. While on the floor in 2025, however, the Fever star has struggled with her shot. She's been especially bad in the recent games she has played, going 1-23 from beyond the arc across her three most recent contests. Overall, Clark is shooting just 39 percent from the field and 29.5 percent from deep during the 2025 WNBA season.
So what's the problem? As mentioned, she has missed time due to injury. Has Clark simply been unable to find her rhythm because of a lack of games played? Is the immense defensive pressure she deals with each game becoming too much to handle? Are the extremely high expectations beginning to get to Clark?
Admitting that Clark has struggled with her shot in 2025 is fair. She is still averaging 18.2 points, 8.9 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 1.6 steals per outing. Clark is still impacting the Fever in a positive manner. Her shooting inefficiency has been troublesome, though.
However, what is the aforementioned uncomfortable truth? Well, in 2024, although Clark had a historic rookie season, she actually was not all that efficient either.
Caitlin Clark's inefficient shooting is not a new phenomenon
Caitlin Clark's rookie year was incredible. Even looking beyond her impact on WNBA ratings and fan interest, Clark played well. She averaged 19.2 points, 8.4 assists, 5.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game.
Analysts compared her impact to Michael Jordan's on the NBA. Clark was being referred to as one of the best players in the league. She even finished fourth in WNBA MVP voting. However, despite all of that, Clark only shot 41.7 percent from the field and 34.4 percent from three-point land.
It's worth noting that Clark's inefficiency has been limited to the WNBA. In college, she shot an impressive 46.2 percent from the field and 37.7 percent from beyond the arc. It isn't as if her shooting efficiency has been a concern for many years. In the WNBA, though, the fact of the matter is that Clark has not found the bottom of the net as consistently as people may be led to assume.
Is Clark's shooting a concern?
Clark is only 23 years old. She faces some of the most intense defensive pressure in the WNBA. The expectations she deals with are quite lofty as well.
Caitlin Clark is not even in her prime as a WNBA player, yet she's already a superstar. There is reason to believe that she will improve her shooting inefficiency. This is not a long-term reason for concern right now.
However, it is worth a discussion. Clark is being mentioned as arguably the best player in the league at times, and that is not the case... Yet. She could enter that conversation down the road, but popularity should not be confused with greatness. Clark is an All-Star caliber player at the moment, but she has work to do in order to become a true MVP candidate.