Warriors Fever Affects Stephen Curry and Steve Kerr Caitlin Clark
There will always be a once-in-a-generation player who will themselves reinventing a league whether it is the NBA or WNBA. Since Stephen Curry was drafted by the Golden State Warriors, teams almost eliminated their mid-range setups. They also started playing more five-out actions. While this has not happened quite yet owing to Caitlin Clark’s arrival, the Indiana Fever star undoubtedly effects the style of play that her opponents employ whether it’s through schemes or rotations. She might be a real star yet but Steve Kerr observed how it will just be a matter of time until her numbers and accolades increase.
Caitlin Clark has been fairly erratic with her production since joining the Fever. A lot of it is related to growing pains and the intense covering that she gets on defense which was not identical to the ones she encountered with Iowa. The great majority of supporters expected her to be a win-now piece. But, that is just not reality when it comes to rookies. While they can have an impact, Steve Kerr explained that these are just conventional roads to stardom.
The Warriors’ head honcho even went as far as to compare her with the greatest shooter of all time, reported Stephanie Rule of MSNBC.
“I think it’s kind of a right of passage for young players, whether it’s the WNBA or the NBA. The other players are going to test you. Actually, Caitlin reminds me a lot of Steph Curry. A lot of people may not remember this, but in Steph’s first couple of years, he was not a superstar. He was not who he is now. He had to get stronger, he had to recognise they were coming after him. That’s what is happening with Caitlin right now,” Steve Kerr said.
Numbers between the Warriors legend and Fever rookie
Kerr does make a fantastic point here. Stephen Curry never averaged more than 20 points in his first three years with the Warriors. This was despite playing a little over 31 minutes on a nightly basis when healthy. The same goes with Clark. She is now shooting 37.3% on all three levels of scoring while earning 16.3 points per game. The Warriors star may have more points but it is worth mentioning that an average NBA game back is longer than a WNBA showdown.
Another issue that Kerr is looking at is the target all over the Fever rookie. She was the most heralded prospect that her league had ever seen. It meant that coaches scouted her quite a lot. It comes to no one’s surprise when airtight defense is played against her in single coverage and blitzes come her way as she reaches halfcourt.
Regardless, the Warriors’ head honcho still sees her in such a wonderful light despite these early losses.
“I think it’s all in the name of competition. She’s handling herself brilliantly. She’s a terrific talent, but like any college athlete who comes into the WNBA or the NBA, it takes time. They’ve got to get stronger, more used to the contact, the roughness, the athleticism. So she’ll be OK, and I believe everything she’s going through right now is just all part of being a pro,” he added.
There are a lot of changes to be made over her career. But, Curry never reached his first All-Star nomination since his fifth year either. So, she has a lot of time to improve and might even outpace the Warriors legend’s career.
