Lexie Brown shares why Paige Bueckers is a better player than Caitlin Clark
Lexie Brown shares why Paige Bueckers is a better player than Caitlin Clark
Lexie believes someone else is better than NCAA darling Clark.
APR 3, 2024
COLLEGE
For all the hype and attention Iowa Hawkeyes superstar Caitlin Clark is receiving due to her phenomenal performance in the Final Four last Monday against LSU, there is one WNBA player who believes she isn’t the best overall player in NCAA women’s basketball: Los Angeles Sparks guard and 2021 WNBA champion Lexie Brown.
When Gilbert Arenas asked Brown who she thought was the better player, Brown answered UConn ace Paige Bueckers.
“I think Paige is,” Brown said on the Gil’s Arena Show.
WNBA Draft prediction
With the 2024 WNBA Draft nearing on April 15, Brown surmised the Indiana Fever—who will pick first for the second straight year—have a good problem in front of them. Although pundits are already predicting Clark will go first overall, Brown said Bueckers can also be a worthy first pick on the strength of 22.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game for the Huskies this season.
However, Lexie added that there’s no denying the star power that Caitlin, the all-time leading scorer in NCAA basketball history, whether men’s or women’s, will bring to the Fever if they decide to select her.
“I think it is a tough decision. I think the makeup of that Fever team is very interesting because I don’t know if they’re going to bring Caitlin in to be more of a distributor. She’s obviously going to score, but they have a lot of scoring threats on that team,” Brown said. “They’ve got Kelsey Mitchell, who is in third place as the (NCAA) all-time leading scorer, going to be on the same team as the current first-place all-time leading scorer.”
Lexie explained that having Clark and Mitchell on the floor at the same time may create usage issues. However, with Caitlin being the hottest basketball player right now, the Fever would be foolish to choose any other player.
“So, if I’m the Fever, I’m still going with Clark just because of her name and the weight it holds right now,” Brown said.
Should Indiana pick Clark, Lexie said with a sly smile that the Sparks would gladly take Bueckers with the second pick.
“I mean, it’s a win-win for one and two if Paige did decide to come out,” Brown said with a smile on her face.
Paige vs. Clark
Before the WNBA Draft commences, the basketball world will first tune in to watch this weekend’s NCAA Women’s National Championship game between UConn and Iowa. While both teams are stacked with talented players, all eyes will be on two specific players: Bueckers and Clark.
These two women hoopers last met in the 2021 NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16, which UConn won in dominant fashion, 92-72. Caitlin, then a freshman sensation, scored 21 points, five assists, and three rebounds, while Paige, who had already established herself as the best player in the country before tearing her ACL in 2022, scored 18 points, nine boards, and eight assists.
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