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Lakers Legend Predicts Historic Caitlin Clark WNBA Scoring Explosion

One Los Angeles Lakers icon expects to see unprecedented scoring from Caitlin Clark in the WNBA.
Grant Young|
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) reacts to scoring three points Thursday, May 9, 2024, during the preseason game against the Atlanta Dream at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Indiana Fever defeated the Atlanta Dream, 83-80.
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) reacts to scoring three points Thursday, May 9, 2024, during the preseason game against the Atlanta Dream at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Indiana Fever defeated the Atlanta Dream, 83-80. | Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK

Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark seems destined to break a ton of scoring records throughout her WNBA career.

Some of the ones she broke during her rookie season in 2024 include becoming the first WNBA rookie to record a triple-double, being the fastest player in WNBA history to top 400 points and 200 assists (26 games), and tallying more points than any point guard in WNBA history (19.2 per game).

Those are all extremely impressive. However, since No. 22 is just 23 years old and has played only one season of professional basketball, it's safe to assume that she has plenty of growth and improvement ahead.

Given how her three-point shooting percentages as a rookie were below her career college mark at Iowa, we imagine Clark will shoot better from beyond the arc in 2024, which will improve her total points per game.

It seems that Lakers legend Michael Cooper seems to think Clark has a lot more scoring in store with a bold prediction he made during his appearance on a February 6 episode of the All The Smoke podcast.

“Caitlin Clark, you’re really getting to see her explode," Cooper said. "I think she’s probably going to be the first WNBA player to average like about 34-35 [points] a game. I think she got that kind of potential.”

No WNBA player has averaged more than 26.9 points per game in a single season, which A'ja Wilson did in 2024. It's pretty tough to imagine Clark averaging 34-35 points per game in a 40-minute contest.

However, Cooper's five NBA championships as a player and two WNBA championships as a coach show that he knows ball better than we do.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.

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