Kara Lawson Shrugs off Caitlin Clark’s ‘Normal’ 3-Point Struggles With Team USA
Caitlin Clark started her first World Cup with Team USA well. She sank three 3-pointers on her way to 14 points and dished out 11 assists in a first big win against China.
Since then, Clark’s shooting has cooled off notably. She, like everyone else on Team USA, struggled against Italy, finishing with one point on 0-for-6 shooting from the field and 0-for-3 from deep. Clark scored nine points against Czechia, but also missed five of her six 3-point attempts. Overall, she shot just 25% on 3-pointers in the group phase.
However, head coach Kara Lawson isn’t worried about Clark’s 3-point shot, as the Indiana Fever star will likely find her rhythm eventually and provides more than just outside shooting.
“I think Caitlin’s done a solid job in this tournament taking the right shots at the right times,” Lawson said after Team USA’s 105-64 win against Czechia, per a video on the FIBA Media YouTube channel. “That’s normal for any shooter. They have stretches where you’re hot, stretches where you’re a little bit cold, but she provides a great playmaking aspect to our game on our team.”
Lawson also reminded everyone that Clark is “feeling her way through her first World Cup.” There are significant differences between FIBA play and the WNBA that can impact shooters. The 3-point line is a bit closer to the basket in FIBA play and international competitions use twelve-panel Molten balls instead of the eight-panel Wilson balls WNBA players are used to. Most importantly, Clark’s role on Team USA is very different from what she does for the Fever, which also leads to a different shot diet, and adjusting to that with little to no practice time is bound to come with some hiccups.
Clark has made a big impact off the bench
Clark leads Team USA in assists through the first three games and has totaled the third-most assists throughout the entire tournament with 19. Only Sevgi Uzun and Julie Allemand have dished out more with 25 and 24, respectively. However, both also average about ten more minutes per game, and Clark totaled the fewest turnovers of the three.
Clark has proven that she can impact games even if her shots aren’t falling consistently. Still, with some stacked teams waiting for them later in the tournament, Team USA would benefit from Clark hitting a few more shots than she has in these last two games.
Assuming that Team USA beats Hungary or Japan in the quarterfinals, they will have to face Spain, Italy, or Australia in the semifinals. Spain and Australia have a ton of WNBA talent, and Italy already caused problems in the group stage. If they survive that, France and Belgium are waiting on the other side of the bracket. Both dominated the group stage and have plenty of experience together.
Team USA will need Clark to continue playing well and maybe even take it to the next level with several high-pressure games coming up.
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Elaine Blum covers women’s basketball for On SI from Europe. She has been writing about women's hoops since 2023 and holds a Bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism and a master’s degree in American Studies with a focus on women’s and gender studies. She started playing basketball when she was 10 years old and won several league and state championships at the youth and senior level.