The Bill James Theory That Keeps Me Believing in Caitlin Clark

Also: Is Indiana Wasting Caitlin Clark?

WNBA culture is insane, which inspires many to fight back against its conventional wisdoms. If the crazy people in that league have it out for Caitlin Clark, it’s tempting to then assume that their criticism of Clark is all fake. Of course, it’s not so simple. In 2024, WNBA legend Diana Taurasi made waves by saying “reality is coming” for the rookie phenom. Taurasi later said she “took the L” on that comment, but subsequent events showed she wasn’t onto nothing.

Caitlin Clark gets beat up a lot, and sometimes hurt. She’s still more exciting than reliable on a team that’s more decent than great. Clark’s historic 45 point, 10 assist Friday night performance against a bad Seattle Storm squad was thrilling, given the context. It came at a time when it was fair to wonder about the trajectory of America’s most famous active female athlete. Since we lack a lot of objective WNBA analysis, I decided to parse through what’s going on with Clark, and figure out if she’s still on a superstar track.