‘Game evolves’ – Caitlin Clark explains why basketball is not same since MJ, Bird and Magic played
Caitlin Clark believes basketball is an ever-evolving game. The WNBA star, who is soon set to embark on her second professional season with the Indiana Fever, has suggested that passing is becoming a ‘lost art’ as a result. Clark has explained why passing is becoming a ‘lost art’ in basketballGetty In an interview with former late night host David Letterman, Clark was quizzed on the rise of the miracle pass, which is basketball’s answer to football’s Hail Mary play. Miracle passes are often thrown with a high degree of risk, but can lead to a game-winning, or clutch, play. In the latest episode of Netflix’s My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman, the veteran TV host suggested: “You and the others, it’s all miracle passes. You could pass blindfold and get an assist. “Where does that come from?” Clark, who has been one of the drivers behind a $1.6billion surge in the value of women’s basketball, responded by explaining how the game is played these days, while also praising soccer for keeping the ‘lost art’ of passing alive. “For me it’s just my IQ. I feel like I can see things that are about to happen on the basketball court before they happen,” she said. “I feel like it’s kind of a lost art at times. Obviously there’s a lot of great passers still. “Honestly, I give soccer a lot of credit. “I think just angles and understanding how to pass to your teammates… how to pass on the move. How to pass where they’re going to be, not where they are. “Like I said, it’s kind of a lost art. There’s plenty in the NBA.” Clark has explained why passing is becoming a ‘lost art’ in basketballGetty She believes basketball has evolved since the days of MJ and Magic JohnsonGetty Letterman then asked if basketball is still evolving, which led Clark to reflect on three greats of the past. “Yeah, the game evolves non-stop, it’s not the same as when Magic (Johnson) and Larry (Bird) played,” she said. “It’s not the same as when (Michael Jordan) played, it’s so much different, and that’s what’s so beautiful about it. “That’s what makes it fun. It will be completely different in 20 years too.” When Letterman asked the reigning Rookie of the Year about two-point shots, she replied. “We like layups. We love layups and 3s.” Clark, indeed, has become known for her long-range shooting. Clark is one of the biggest names in basketball both on and off the courtGetty In college, she had a reputation for attempting 3s from the mid-court logo, and she has brought that signature shot to the WNBA too. “I always want to get to our post players when they’re running to the rim…usually somebody picks me up,” Clark explained of her efforts last September. “But if not, you just launch it…hope it goes in and let it fly. That’s what the people love. So, I got to give them what they want.” Clark finished her Iowa State career with a 3-point percentage of 37.7 – which is higher than the average 35.7 percent of a point guard in the NBA. In the pro league, though, she shot at a lower 34.4% in her rookie season. Ahead of the new season, Clark has been showing off her incredible three-point accuracy in the gym. The 23-year-old is right to suggest that her generation does indeed love shooting from range – something that could perhaps be credited to watching the likes of Steph Curry, James Harden, and Klay Thompson growing up. That’s not to say players weren’t taking those kinds of shots in the past eras of Jordan, Magic and Bird, of course. Jordan was one of the NBA’s most iconic dunkers, and won back-to-back contestsGetty MJ, in fact, attempted 1,213 three-point shots during his iconic career and made 427 of them, retiring with a 3-point percentage of 32.7. But Jordan didn’t get one of his legendary nicknames by shooting from beyond the arc – ‘His Airness’ loved to attack the paint and jam the ball through the rim. As for Clark, she’s preparing for the new WNBA season, which tips off for the Fever on May 17.
Caitlin Clark believes basketball is an ever-evolving game.
The WNBA star, who is soon set to embark on her second professional season with the Indiana Fever, has suggested that passing is becoming a ‘lost art’ as a result.
In an interview with former late night host David Letterman, Clark was quizzed on the rise of the miracle pass, which is basketball’s answer to football’s Hail Mary play.
Miracle passes are often thrown with a high degree of risk, but can lead to a game-winning, or clutch, play.
In the latest episode of Netflix’s My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman, the veteran TV host suggested: “You and the others, it’s all miracle passes. You could pass blindfold and get an assist.
“Where does that come from?”
Clark, who has been one of the drivers behind a $1.6billion surge in the value of women’s basketball, responded by explaining how the game is played these days, while also praising soccer for keeping the ‘lost art’ of passing alive.
“For me it’s just my IQ. I feel like I can see things that are about to happen on the basketball court before they happen,” she said.
“I feel like it’s kind of a lost art at times. Obviously there’s a lot of great passers still.
“Honestly, I give soccer a lot of credit.
“I think just angles and understanding how to pass to your teammates… how to pass on the move. How to pass where they’re going to be, not where they are.
“Like I said, it’s kind of a lost art. There’s plenty in the NBA.”
Letterman then asked if basketball is still evolving, which led Clark to reflect on three greats of the past.
“Yeah, the game evolves non-stop, it’s not the same as when Magic (Johnson) and Larry (Bird) played,” she said.
“It’s not the same as when (Michael Jordan) played, it’s so much different, and that’s what’s so beautiful about it.
“That’s what makes it fun. It will be completely different in 20 years too.”
When Letterman asked the reigning Rookie of the Year about two-point shots, she replied. “We like layups. We love layups and 3s.”
Clark, indeed, has become known for her long-range shooting.
In college, she had a reputation for attempting 3s from the mid-court logo, and she has brought that signature shot to the WNBA too.
“I always want to get to our post players when they’re running to the rim…usually somebody picks me up,” Clark explained of her efforts last September.
“But if not, you just launch it…hope it goes in and let it fly. That’s what the people love. So, I got to give them what they want.”
Clark finished her Iowa State career with a 3-point percentage of 37.7 – which is higher than the average 35.7 percent of a point guard in the NBA.
In the pro league, though, she shot at a lower 34.4% in her rookie season.
Ahead of the new season, Clark has been showing off her incredible three-point accuracy in the gym.
The 23-year-old is right to suggest that her generation does indeed love shooting from range – something that could perhaps be credited to watching the likes of Steph Curry, James Harden, and Klay Thompson growing up.
That’s not to say players weren’t taking those kinds of shots in the past eras of Jordan, Magic and Bird, of course.
MJ, in fact, attempted 1,213 three-point shots during his iconic career and made 427 of them, retiring with a 3-point percentage of 32.7.
But Jordan didn’t get one of his legendary nicknames by shooting from beyond the arc – ‘His Airness’ loved to attack the paint and jam the ball through the rim.
As for Clark, she’s preparing for the new WNBA season, which tips off for the Fever on May 17.
