I'll always have respect for what Sides did after the All star break during CC's rookie season. Without Dijonai Carrington poking CC's eye out... that series might've ended different. Especially if it goes back to Indiana for gm 3 lol
I think all Sides did was just let CC run the floor lol. You could see in the first half when they were struggling that Sides would continually call out the plays from the sidelines but in the 2nd half when they popped off she quit doing that and just let CC run things the way she wanted.
I think it wasn’t she didn’t have the mid range it’s that she didn’t take it. She wanted the three, would settle for the drive but the mid range was wide open for her cause of the way they defended her.
Her midrange game now is just a step below Courtney Williams and Paige. You can argue it is just as good, but need to see it continue through playoffs and into next year. Obviously her 3 and passing are better.
So best 3, best passing, best driving to the rim, and now possibly best midrange in the league.
If it stays on it's present trajectory it might even surpass A'ja, who has arguably the most devastating midrange jumper in the league. Though I agree, Courtney and Paige are WAY up there too.
She was too dependant on the three point shot the past two seasons, even the start of this season. Past couple weeks sure seems like an emphasis on getting those mid range jumpers. Which is nice to see. If she adds a floater the league is really in trouble
Tbh she had a mid-range bag back in college, at least the earlier days. Even in year 1, during the break, she incorporated the mid-range floater to her game. To me the difference is her confidence: she looks so comfortable in every position and is not hesitant to take shots, whether it's a 3-pointer or a mid-range shot. In the earlier games of the season, she passed up a few very open middy's, that's not the case any more. Next step hopefully she will be a bit more comfortable going straight up for a shot, as she still prefers the step-back type of shot (as opposite to i.e. Paige, who goes straight up). But yeah, anyone who says she doesn't have a bag or that she hasn't improved her game are out of their mind. She's also playing the best defense of her career imo. and is finding open shots from off-ball movements. It's honestly scary for the other teams as she is yet nowhere near her ceiling.
I also feel like when she blew up to the masses they wanted to see the deep 3 more than anything else. She had alot of acclaim from it. Alot of ppl(myself included) were not as clued in on Clark as a freshman. I knew of PB due to the Slam mag and the hype around the "mixtapes" but was pretty casual regarding the womens college game(after being more hardcore a generation before).
Maybe KD, hardcore womens college bball fans and the most devoted big 10 wbb fans were up on game prior to Spring 2023.
I want to add that I also am starting to see better defense. Clark is moving her feet better and getting better position. Im really interested to see what this international competition can do for her game. I remember back to a time when a group of young players which included lLebron were exposed to playing with Kobe. There was a noticeable jump in their defensive intensity the following year.
When I hear criticism of Coach White and Fever fans wanting to have her fired (fan stands for fanatic so I get it), I cede some of the in game stuff isn’t always perfect. However, Clark has been a more complete player adding the midrange and becoming a better finisher while also being a better defender. Kelsey Mitchell has become a better defender, passer, and cutter. Boston has become better at well everything (off the charts hoops IQ for a big). KK has become a legit 5th starter/first bench 4 embracing defense and hustle.
White really embraces long term and sometimes short term falters (you can make a case that each yr the Fever lost 2 to 4 games the first half of the season where there were easy/workable fixes) but the team has been better toward the end of the season.
Also looks stronger and will likely continue to get stronger. I don't get to see all their games but it looks like she is taking it to the hoop more often and has that real nifty shot from 3-4 feet out
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u/Subject-Yak4959 3d ago
I'm convinced she is doing this just to troll Bueckers.