Jason Whitlock has taken to social media to defend Caitlin Clark, even claiming that NBA teams during the Michael Jordan era did a worse job of protecting the six-time NBA champion than WNBA teams do at guarding the Indiana Fever star.
Whitlock, 57, made the claim in X when responding to a fan’s post arguing that Clark deserves more of the WNBA Rookie of the Year award than his rival Angel Reese of the Chicago Sky.
The fan responded, “I know you don’t like Caitlin’s turnovers. But there are so many of them on the players that Caitlin is passing the ball. Caitlin sees the game so much better than her teammates and they’re just not ready to play at her level.”
Whitlock’s response was, “A great exaggeration. Clark’s high turnovers are a direct result of the unprecedented defensive attention she receives in every game.
“Jordan wasn’t defended like Clark is. Plus she’s a risk taker/gambler because she’s so much more skilled than 97% of the players.”
Jason Whitlock has responded to a fan who claims Caitlin Clark’s high turnover rate in her WNBA debut year is due to her teammates not being on the ‘level’ of the Fever star
Whitlock added that Clark is being defended more closely than NBA legend Michael Jordan
The NBA analyst said on X that Jordan “wasn’t defended the same way Clark was” in his rookie year
Clark’s career-high turnover percentage of 5.5 per game is the focus of fans who aren’t rooting for the 21-year-old guard to win the ROTY award, despite the fact that the rookie is just one of two players in the entire league averaging at least 15 points (16.7), 5 rebounds (5.9) and 5 assists (7.6).
On Friday, Clark broke the Fever’s franchise record for most assists in a quarter (7) with nine in Indiana’s 96-85 win over Phoenix Mercury.
Meanwhile, a national panel of voters who rate The Associated Press’s weekly Power Poll finds that Clark is ahead of Reese in the race for ROTY honors halfway through the season.
Clark and Reese have garnered national attention with their record-breaking rookie seasons, becoming the first rookie duo to make an All-Star team since 2014. It’s no surprise then that they are leading candidates for the award.
Thanks to them, the competition has grown significantly in terms of viewership, attendance and merchandise sales. And with so many basketball games yet to be played, it can be argued that one of them should win the prize.
Clark (R) takes on old rival Angel Reese (L) for the WNBA Rookie of the Year Award
But halfway through, the 15-member panel gives Clark the upper hand in a 9-5 vote. One person did not vote.
Clark leads the WNBA in points (points plus points from assists) with 713, according to ESPN. The Fever’s No. 1 pick also became the first rookie to have a triple-double in a game, doing so in a win over New York.
Reese set the WNBA record for consecutive double-doubles with 13, breaking Candace Parker’s record of 12 set in the 2009 and 2010 seasons. She leads the league in rebounding with 11.9 per game.
The panel also named Las Vegas star A’ja Wilson as the unanimous choice for Player of the Year at this point in the season. Wilson felt she should have won the award last year and she has been even more dominant this year. She is averaging 27.0 points, 10.9 rebounds and 2.7 blocks.
The Aces star is on track to break the record for average points in a season, becoming the Aces’ all-time leading scorer on Sunday.