Skip Bayless wonders if Caitlin Clark is all bark and no bite.
The “Undisputed” hot take master questioned the “dog” in the 2024 No. 1 pick after her passive performance down the stretch Sunday while the Fever blew a 15-point lead in a loss to the Sky.
He chose that dog-influenced analogy after rival Angel Reese called herself a dog after helping lead the Sky”s comeback in their 88-87 win.
“As soon as that game ended, Angel Reese did a standup on-court interview with Holly Rowe and the first thing out of her mouth was, ‘I got that dog in me and you cannot teach that.’ And you know what? You can’t teach that. You either were born with it or you won’t,” Bayless said Monday. “And Angel, for the first time as a professional basketball player, definitely showed me what she was made of because they were in big trouble in that game.
“Conversely, I’m going to hold women’s basketball to the same standards I would hold men’s basketball. Caitlin, I don’t know if she has that dog in her. I know she’s got talent, I know she’s got distant shooting talent and I know she definitely has a gift for passing the basketball.
“But I don’t know if she has that dog in her because I start to wonder — I know it’s extremely early, but I’m just saying, I start to wonder when I see what I saw (Sunday).”
Clark’s performance Sunday has been questioned after she curiously disappeared in the final seven minutes while the Fever squandered their big lead.
She tallied only three shots in the fourth quarter, including just one in the final seven minutes.
With a chance to take the lead in the final 20 seconds of a one-point game, Clark passed to teammate Kristy Wallace in transition rather than attack the basket. Wallace missed her shot.
Fever coach Christie Sides would have preferred if Clark kept the ball.
“I never want her to not be aggressive and take shots,” Sides said. “I really thought when she want out in transition after that missed free throw, I thought she was going to take it to the rim or pull up right there. That would have been a great shot for her, for our team.”
Clark, who tallied a franchise-record 13 assists Sunday, seemed content with being pass-first in that spot.
“I’m sure there was an opportunity or two for me to probably attempt another shot there at the end, but I trust my teammates,” said Clark, who scored 17 points. “Obviously, 13 assists, that means my teammates scored off of 13 of my passes. It’s a really great number, so I’m going to give them the ball every time and give them an opportunity to score. I believe in them.”
Reese, meanwhile, tallied game-highs with 25 points and 16 rebounds in the Sky’s first win over the Fever in three matchups this season.
“I’m a dog. You can’t teach that,” Reese said. “I’m go out and do whatever it takes to win.”
