Paige Bueckers vs Caitlin Clark [merged thread]

[BBallF]

For the record, Caitlin has taken over 20 shots in a game 44 times in her career out of a little more than 100 games. Paige has attempted 20+ shots 4 times, all in her freshman campaign, with a high of 26 when she shot 15-26 against SC. In that game, SC knew Paige was going to shoot and still could not stop her. She easily could put up comparable numbers to Caitlin if she upped her attempts per game.

Herein lies the rub. It goes against Paige's nature to force her shot. I can count on one hand the number of bad or forced shots by her at UConn. Contrastingly, Caitlin forced at least 10 uncharacteristic shots, especially from the 3-pt land against K St. This is one area of difference in their games: Paige doesn't force her game to make things happen, while Caitlin wants to make things happen and sometimes forces things.

As Geno has stated previously, nobody makes Paige play at a different speed. She might not be the quickest or most athletic, but her change of direction and pace serves her well. Clark is a demon going north to south, and it's where she's most dangerous, pulling up for a long 3-pt shot or deftly assisting a teammate.

They are both generational talents. While Paige was missing last year, Caitlin picked up the mantle and brought just attention to the women's game. The reason this comparison is occurring now is because Ms Buckets is healthy and reminding everybody of her genius and prowess on the court. If Clark was wearing a UConn uniform, I would be ecstatic, but I would still rate Paige the better overall player.

Finally, Iowa's best shot at a NC was last season. There are too many talented team for Iowa to go on a similar run like last season. Also, it would be close to impossible for Clark to top last year's tourney run. If, and it is a big if, Uconn and Paige especially remain healthy, they have a more realistic shot at making the NC game than Iowa. Mostly because they have the better chess pieces.

All very solid points which I agree with wholeheartedly. The shot selection is another reason why I favor Paige. IMO, she needs to create and shoot more and I think you will see that now going forward. She knows she has to start out offensively for this team to join in.

 

[MilfordHusky]

'Fairly typical,' Milford? Caitlin 'typically' has no steals or blocks, and Paige 'typically' has six steals? Let's have all the comparisons one wants, but that's cherry picking at its very best.

You're taking things too literally. More representative averages:

2020-21 Caitlin 1.3 steals and 0.5 blocks. Paige 2.3 steals and 0.4 blocks.

2023-24 Caitlin 0.8 steals and 0.3 blocks. Paige 2.7 steals and 0.7 blocks.

So, blocks are very similar, but Paige records roughly double the number of steals.

 

[oldude]

As info , Hamilton Neil posted a video today titled, “Paige Bueckers is Better Than Caitlin Clark….”

Yet another boneyard lurker?

 

[Rowdy831]

I've enjoyed reading the many various takes on Bueckers-Clark. As one of Caitlin's frequent 'defenders' here, I'll direct anyone interested to a post I made on the General Forum's 'Clark scores 44' thread late in the Iowa game noting Caitlin clearly was not Caitlin last night. Even early on, she was front-rimming many of her shots, both 3s and short jumpers, and her excellent handle wasn't as controlled as usual.

Whatever the case, she was increasingly ineffective. Sadly, she had no one to pick her up. The last part of the game, when she was firing many of her errant threes, reminded me of the final minutes of the NCAA title game vs. LSU when Iowa was hopelessly out of it and she kept chucking bombs.

As great as she is, Caitlin sometimes falls victim to both her own brilliance and resultant attention, and to the reality that she doesn't have alternatives on her team when the Hawkeyes need points, especially last night when K State's 6'6" Aoki Lee mostly shut off the Hawkeyes' interior game.

All that said, I love all the posts noting how lucky we are to have both Paige and Caitlin to watch, and healthy, too. Fingers crossed that remains a constant throughout the season.

Lee is a big post player that is not very athletic. I am convinced that if she can be effective against teams as a defender then so can Amari. At some point we will need that size to compete on the inside and now is the time to develop that part of the defense.

 

[MSGRET]

Lee is a big post player that is not very athletic. I am convinced that if she can be effective against teams as a defender then so can Amari. At some point we will need that size to compete on the inside and now is the time to develop that part of the defense.

She is in her third year to develop, if she has gotten to more than mop up minutes, what makes you think she will be able to now.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

If both healthy, I would take Paige over Clark. Paige has another gear that others can't match. When she's in this zone, she takes over games.

I’d take Paige or Maddy Siegrist over Clark.

 

[oldude]

She is in her third year to develop, if she has gotten to more than mop up minutes, what makes you think she will be able to now.

The difference between Lee and Amari is aggression. Lee has it and, unfortunately, Amari doesn’t. I have previously stated, half seriously, that I would love to see Amari come into a game and foul out in 5 minutes……..sigh…….

 

[Waquoit]

Huh? Yes, she has 24 points but there were 3 other players in double figures (Iowa had 1) and one with 9 points as did Iowa. KK and Nika has 5 assists each, Iowa had 9 total as a team. UConn was the more complete offensive team last night

Paige is virtually the entire offense. Is that better? Those numbers for the others wouldn't be neraly as good without Paige.

 

[BobbyJ]

Lee is a big post player that is not very athletic. I am convinced that if she can be effective against teams as a defender then so can Amari. At some point we will need that size to compete on the inside and now is the time to develop that part of the defense.

I'm worried that you might be trying to be serious here. She'd get pushed all around the paint and foul out in 10 minutes if she stayed on the floor that long. Auriemma's capable of handling this situation, he's seen enough of her in two years.

 

[Boreifs]

Lee is a big post player that is not very athletic. I am convinced that if she can be effective against teams as a defender then so can Amari. At some point we will need that size to compete on the inside and now is the time to develop that part of the defense.

Sorry, but you are dreaming. Lee scored 61 points in a game two years ago; she is a major talent,

 

[cohenzone]

You are right, she scored 44 points on 13-31 shooting and took half the teams shots. Iowa would be nothing without her, but she is taking too many shots, especially if she is off, whereas maybe one of her teammates could do more if they had the opportunity. Still, I think she is a great player.

Her coach fits in there somewhere. The coach must be good with it or has no confidence in anyone else. She must get arm weary.

 

[Boreifs]

Is there anyone who wouldn’t want both of them on their team. Clark isn’t playing with McDonalds All-Americans; Iowa is usually lucky to get one Top 100 recruit. Let’s wait until both of them have retired from the WNBA; then one will have a basis for comparison.

 

[diggerfoot]

I only want to address a false narrative here that gets repeated consistently. The truth does not favor one player or the other, depending upon how you interpret it, but I just dislike false narratives, this one being that Clark’s teammates were practically scrubs.

First off, you can fail to be an elite talent overall, yet still be a great shooter. The freshman Bueckers had a better shooting percentage than the UConn team as a whole. It was better than any other guard on the team by a wide margin. Her shooting efficiency may even have been better than our posts, though I’m too lazy to look that up right now.

In contrast, Iowa as a whole shot better than the junior Clark. Considering how many shots Clark takes, those poor scrubs that were her teammates actually shot significantly better. I know Warnock and Czinano both did, plus there were two other who shot 60%.

You can interpret this several ways. In Clark’s junior year she played with a roster that had been together for three years, which of course will boost efficiency all the way around. In contrast the freshman Bueckers played with changing line-ups during a turbulent covid year.

No doubt Clark made her teammates better, but it’s also true that her teammates were good shooters playing together for three years under a good coach. Their overall talent may have led to shortcomings on the defensive end, but essentially the junior Clark had more to work with than the freshman Bueckers on offense.

Indeed, comparing their shooting to overall team performance suggests that the freshman Bueckers should have taken more shots to compensate for the team’s inefficiency, while Clark should have taken fewer.

 

[BBallF]

I’d take Paige or Maddy Siegrist over Clark.

Maddy Seigrist over Clark? Interested in the point of view. I see Clark and Paige as our future Olympic backcourt.

 

[DennieEddy]

Paige is UConn's entire offense as well.

When she is, it's because she takes over as the hub, and not the end of the spoke. Little metaphor there, but she does look to distribute, to allocate the offense, and YES, she is one of the distributions and YES a big part of the allocation. But she knows her teammates, and knows their capabilities, and their strong suits and plays to those capabilities and strong suits.

 

[huskeynut]

This thread reminds me of the good old NBA days: Bird or Johnson, Russell or Chamberlain, There is no right answer.

Same with Paige vs Caitlin. Very talented players in different programs that have different philosophies.

I see Clark as a scorer first, on the verge of a gunner, because that is what her team needs. And Iowa will ride Clark's talent. Paige is not a scorer first. She is a passer first. Paige has a better cast around her. ,

It all boils down to how you, as a fan, and how you believe the game should be played.

My choices: Larry Bird, Bill Russell and Paige Bueckers.

 

[oldude]

This thread reminds me of the good old NBA days: Bird or Johnson, Russell or Chamberlain, There is no right answer.

Same with Paige vs Caitlin. Very talented players in different programs that have different philosophies.

I see Clark as a scorer first, on the verge of a gunner, because that is what her team needs. And Iowa will ride Clark's talent. Paige is not a scorer first. She is a passer first. Paige has a better cast around her. ,

It all boils down to how you, as a fan, and how you believe the game should be played.

My choices: Larry Bird, Bill Russell and Paige Bueckers.

Even though I’m a lifelong Celtic fan, my choices: Magic, Russell & Paige.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

Maddy Seigrist over Clark? Interested in the point of view. I see Clark and Paige as our future Olympic backcourt.

Last season Seigrist averaged 29.2 ppg while Clark averaged 27.8. Paige missed last season.

 

[PhillyCoach]

It's simple - - they are exactly the same (special/elite)--but different! (Paige shoots better % and defends well-- -- -- Clark has more stamina/health and she is an all-around player who has many triple doubles.) Remember who was competing with Nika for the most assists last year. Clark was doing that & rebounding, while scoring at a top clip. Clark is a great player and so is Paige.
They are both great leaders taking their team to the NC game.
Change the criteria for the assessment and you will get different results.

As Old Dude mentioned---
Wilt Chamberlan was the greatest player of all time if we use single season stats as the criteria. He averaged 50pts. a game for the season. had 55 rebounds in one game, and won the assists title for another season. He did what he wanted.
However, Bill Russell was the greatest player if we use Championships as the criteria. He won 9 in a row and 10 total NBA titles or something in that realm.
.
In your opinion you can pick anyone as the best, because everybody has an opinion these days. Please spell out your criteria and the evidence/facts that goes with it.

Anyway, they are exactly the same; they are both great players.

 

[TheFarmFan]

Speaking as a fan of neither team, but a fan of both players (though admittedly more so a fan of Bueckers), this debate is so tedious. They both have made college WBB so much better, that in the grand scheme of things, the real debate is "Bueckers and Clark vs. Edey and Dickinson." I'll take Bueckers and Clark over Edey and Dickinson all day, every day, and twice on Sundays. I'm just grateful they both add so much value to my favorite sport.

 

[HuskyNan]

Speaking as a fan of neither team, but a fan of both players (though admittedly more so a fan of Bueckers), this debate is so tedious. They both have made college WBB so much better, that in the grand scheme of things, the real debate is "Bueckers and Clark vs. Edey and Dickinson." I'll take Bueckers and Clark over Edey and Dickinson all day, every day, and twice on Sundays. I'm just grateful they both add so much value to my favorite sport.

I’d take Donovan Clingan over Edey or Dickinson. You know, the guy that’s an integral piece of the reigning national champion

 

[hoopsfan22]

I'm taking Paige. She can do more things well. You saw her versatility in the Maryland game dropping dimes, blocking shots, stealing the ball, effortlessly knocking down 3s and mid-range shots. You won't see Paige chucking up 30 ft shots - she generally tries to complete the high percentage play.

 

[darkstar1]

Clark took a team full of non-All American recruits to the National Championship and were a Jasmine Carson Linsanity run away from winning a championship. She makes her teammates better.

I just don’t see it. She is a phenomenal player, no doubt. A great player that is the center of attention on a team that relies so heavily on her, is simply going to have great stats. But when that player has an off game against a good team, you know what happens. We just saw it against a decent but not exceptionally good team. If Clarke were on Uconn, would she be willing to not be the whole show?

 

[Linart]

I think Paige is much more exciting to watch. She has more holy-crap-how-did-she do-that shots. And she's faster and more emotional.

 

[Bigboote]

Clark took a team full of non-All American recruits to the National Championship and were a Jasmine Carson Linsanity run away from winning a championship. She makes her teammates better.

Morgan William took a team with no all-American recruits (including herself) to the National Championship. Two years in a row. Does that make William as good as Paige?

I'm not belittling (pun intended) the contributions of Itty Bitty -- she was a great floor general, but not in the same league as Paige or Caitlin.