There are two universal truths right now, the Utah Jazz are the worst team in the NBA, and Caitlin Clark is the best shooter in women's college basketball. These are universal, accepted truths. So what if we combine them? The Utah Jazz are not a good team and have a lot of holes that need to be filled. They can't guard the perimeter, they can't shoot threes and unless Kris Dunn and Walker Kessler are on the court, their interior defense is absent. Heck, they're struggling to even pass the ball now, turning over the ball at an alarming rate.
Just Tuesday night, Collin Sexton and Keyonte George had a combined 11 turnovers against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Cleveland had just 13 all night. The Jazz need help. That's beyond clear. With Lauri Markkanen "out" for the rest of the season, they're lacking an efficient scorer who can keep the team afloat, and with Clark's name as big as it'll ever be, there are some wondering how she'd do against male competition.
Let's talk about that.
Iconic rapper Ice Cube has offered Clark a nice contract to play for the Big 3, a three-on-three men's pro league, that usually features semi-retired NBA All-Stars in a half-court game to 50 (you have to win by two). Clark would seem to fit into that league just fine, as she's a fantastic shooter. She's a 38% three-point shooter for her career, so she has a solid stroke and would fit well within the Big 3 style of play.
But the Big 3 isn't the NBA.
If we take her out of the world of 3v3 basketball and put her on an NBA team, would she do well? Well, she's not big for an NBA player, just 6'0, and she's quite lean, so she's not going to be able to match up size-wise against some of the other NBA guards. The idea she'd be a shot-creator really isn't there due to her lacking top-end speed. But can she become a catch-and-shoot option like an older Ray Allen or Kyle Korver? That seems possible and on the Jazz's bench, there's certainly room for someone who can find room on the floor and jack up a shot.
Though, this conversation has been had before, notably when Candace Parker was in college. Many people talked about how she'd fit in the NBA, While it's not easy to find conversations from 16 years ago, the general consensus was that she could likely be a bench player but wouldn't ever produce the way she could in the WNBA. There were some who cited the fact that whatever short-term gain the NBA would have by having Parker in uniform wouldn't be worth the WNBA possibly losing their best young player.
And if the WNBA were to survive and grow, Parker and the handful of women like her, who could play with men, would need to help cultivate the WNBA. Now, here we are about 16 years later talking about Clark the same way we're talking about Parker, and like with Parker, Clark could probably have a run in the NBA that lasts at least two contracts, but whatever impact she'd have would be mitigated due to her smaller stature and the fact she'd be playing against athletes shes never had to worry about before.
As tennis great Serena Williams pointed out, men and women are different athletically, with the legend talking about how men are stronger and faster on a tennis court. Imagine that difference but on an NBA court. Clark can stand in a spot and hit her shot, but to seriously rely on her to help you win may be asking too much of her. She could probably average eight or nine points off the bench, maybe even double-digits, but she would likely struggle with the speed of the NBA and could end up being a defensive liability.
Despite the concerns around her performance in the NBA, we have no doubt that she'll take over the WNBA when she finally gets drafted.