UConn Huskies star player Paige Bueckers has been acknowledged for her skills and court presence, leading her to be the apparent first pick for the WNBA draft. Because of these things, Bueckers has long been compared to Caitlin Clark, who was once a college basketball superstar herself. With that said, once she enters the NBA, would she be able to push aside Chicago Sky star Angel Reese as the apparent rival to Clark?
In a piece on Sportskeeda where the topic discussed was future WNBA players who may overshadow Angel Reese as a Caitlin Clark rival, Paige Bueckers came out on the top. Also included in the list were USC’s JuJu Watkins, Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo, Flau’jae Johnson of the LSU Tigers, and USC’s Kiki Iriafen.
Among the people on the list, JuJu Watkins is not yet eligible for the WNBA draft as she is still in her sophomore year. The same goes for Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo. Iriafen and Johnson are eligible as they are senior and junior, respectively.
The rivalry between Angel Reese has long been a topic of interest in the WNBA, despite the two not having any real on-court beef with each other, aside from one “eye poking” incident. During her interview with TIME, Caitlin Clark touched on her supposed rivalry with Reese, something she revealed did not make much sense to her.
Paige Bueckers vs Caitlin Clark: Comparing College Stats
UConn star Paige Bueckers is on her senior and (possibly) final year at college, and while it would be hard to top off the impact and viewership that Caitlin Clark had brought not only to Iowa but to the entirety of college sports, that is not to say that the two cannot be compared when it comes to the numbers they bring inside the court.
During her senior year as part of the Iowa Hawkeyes, Clark averaged 31.6 points per game, 7.4 rebounds, and 8.9 assists. Currently, Bueckers is averaging 20 points per game, 4.9 rebounds, and 4.2 assists.
While Clark certainly scores more, Paige is shooting more efficiently, making 57.6% of her field shots, and shooting 44.2% from beyond the arc. Clark, on the other hand, makes 45.5% of her field goals, and 37.8% of her three-point shots.
Paige Bueckers is currently the apparent WNBA draft first pick. With the Dallas Wings winning the draft lottery, it is expected that she would be signed by the Texan team eventually. However, she also has the option to play one more season for college.
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