JuJu Watkins is not in the same “pond” as Caitlin Clark, and that makes the two women’s basketball stars as comparable as apples to oranges. At least, that is what sports analyst and broadcaster Jason Whitlock’s take on the comparison between the two, particularly about how Watkins is the next generation’s Clark.
In one of the recent editions of his program “Fearless,” Whitlock criticized the take of Stephen A. Smith about JuJu Watkins. In one of his commentaries, Stephen A. likened Watkins to Clark and said that the USC star should have the same attention and celebration that Clark had during her college basketball years.
However, Whitlock believes that JuJu Watkins is not in the same league as Caitlin Clark. Using the “big fish, small pond” analogy, Whitlock likened JuJu Watkins to a big fish in a large ocean that is Los Angeles, California. Meanwhile, Caitlin Clark came from a smaller “pond” that is Iowa, which gave her an edge to be the big fish in a small pond.
“Juju Watkins is a nice-sized fish in the Los Angeles ocean,” Whitlock said. “Who knows if she’s better than Caitlin Clark? Caitlin Clark is [the] female Steph Curry. Juju Watkins potentially could be [the] female Kobe Bryant, [but] the problem is the pond that she’s swimming in. So rather than going to the inference that ‘oh she’s being denied something’ that ‘y’all better treat her like Caitlyn Clark’—she ain’t swimming in the same pond as Caitlin Clark.”
With these things said, Whitlock thinks JuJu Watkins and Caitlin Clark cannot be compared to each other as they were simply like apples and oranges in this matter.
“So how can we treat her like Caitlin Clark? She’s in a different body of water and that makes all the difference in the world.”
Jason Whitlock on How Caitlin Clark Built Her Stardom: “She Dominated at Home First”
Jason Whitlock, in the same edition of “Fearless,” also touched on how an athlete can build stardom. The first step, according to him, was to start with your hometown—which was what Caitlin Clark did.
“Caitlin Clark was in Iowa, in the middle of nowhere,” he said. “People needed entertainment and she provided it and they filled up Carver-Hawkeye Arena, sold out game after game. She had a connection with those people. That was special.”
He added:
“[Caitlin Clark] carried that connection and that fan base to the WNBA. She dominated at home first.”
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