Fresh off four dominant collegiate seasons with the Hawkeyes, Indiana Fever rookie point guard Caitlin Clark was reportedly not selected for this year’s U.S. Olympic team ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics, which came as something of a shock. Now, at least, we can understand why.
USA Today’s Christine Brennan reported that the primary reason Clark was left off this year’s 12-player U.S. Olympic team was that the program was concerned she wouldn’t necessarily get primary rotation playing time in a deep backcourt that includes New York Liberty point guard Sabrina Ionescu, Las Vegas Aces guards Kelsey Plum, Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray, Seattle Storm combo guard Jewel Loyd and Phoenix Mercury guards Diana Taurasi and Kalia Copper.
This was a mistake.
The 6-foot-tall rookie phenom is the headline story in women’s basketball, and her inclusion would be a major boost to the U.S. team for Olympic broadcasters, who have struggled to attract attention in recent years. Though Clarke is still inexperienced, she has already proven she can play at the professional level and has the potential to quickly become one of basketball’s true elite.
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Clark averages 16.8 points per game with a slash line of .373/.327/.893, which is good for her ranking as the top rookie. She is also the 13th-best scorer in the WNBA overall. Her 6.3 assists are good for her ranking as the best rookie and fourth-best overall. She is the WNBA’s most frequent three-pointer shooter with 104 attempts, and is second in the league in three-pointers made with 34. Her three-point shooting percentage of 32.7% is good for her ranking as 21st in the league.
There is precedent for collegiate athletes competing at the Olympic level, including current Olympian Breanna Stewart, so Clark’s failure to achieve her goal can’t just be because she was a rookie.
She’s already tied the rookie record for most 3-pointers made in a game with seven, in just her 12th game of the season out of 40. Clarke seems on track to become an All-Star rookie, much like her former Fever teammate Aaliyah Boston. She’s already one of the best players in the league, but she’s still raw and struggles a bit with contact at times.
The U.S. team will be just fine with or without Clark; it hasn’t lost since 1992.
But not making the initial roster doesn’t completely end Clark’s chances at the 2024 Olympics. All-Star guard Chelsea Gray has been out since the 2023 WNBA Finals with a lower-leg injury, and Las Vegas has yet to determine a timeline for her return. The Olympics begin next month. If Gray continues to be sidelined, the media frenzy could force decision-makers to reconsider their choice to leave Clark off the team.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom, seeking common ground and finding connections.
