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Fans were quick to spot the ‘awkward’ reaction of Caitlin Clark when she was compared to the Celtics Payton Pritchard. And a month later, Pacers legend Reggie Miller, who made that initial comment, is still standing by it. In fact, the Hall of Famer doubled down and also analyzed that the Fever guard is different from Stephen Curry.

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The Indiana Pacers legend joined the Dan Patrick Show on Tuesday, March 3, and expressed surprise that he received blowback from his original statement. “It wasn’t a question of historically, or stature-wise, who she is compared to. Because if that was the case, obviously, she has brought so much attention to  WNBA and eyes like a Stephen Curry.”

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Reggie Miller also believes that Pritchard’s 30 points and 8 assists against the Lakers in February took some heat off him. “They’re very similar,” Miller said Tuesday. “He’s (Pritchard) probably a better scorer, once you get into the paint. But I was talking about, taking that back step to left for the deep 3; throw the ball ahead, get it back; get assists.”

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The Pacers legend recognized that Pritchard is primarily considered a role player, while Clark, the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year, is seen as a leading figure, possibly the future of the WNBA. It was at this point that Dan Patrick noted the possibility of comparing someone to Steph Curry of the Golden State Warriors.

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“That’s not her game. The only thing that she has in common with Steph is that they both shoot deep. Steph plays off the ball now.” Miller opined that Curry has increasingly emphasized off-ball movement as a core part of his game, especially in recent seasons with the Warriors. This allows him to exploit defenses without needing primary ball-handling duties. Using screens, cuts, and curls to get open for threes or backdoor layups becomes an option for the 4x NBA champion.

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Whereas he concluded with “Caitlin has the ball like Payton Pritchard has the ball all the time.” When Miller said this on air on NBC, Clark was beside her. At first, she was smiling. But then fans noticed that the smile vanished in an instant. While this was the netizens’ sentiment, the Fever guard remained unaffected.

After Pritchard nailed a buzzer-beater to end the first quarter against the Dallas Mavericks, Clark shared the video clip on X with a caption of three smirking face emojis.

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Even Reggie Miller’s NBC’s co-host, did not support the statement

In the latest episode of his podcast 7PM in Brooklyn, fellow NBA on NBC analyst Carmelo Anthony offered his perspective on the viral moment. Anthony was at the desk alongside Miller and Clark and stated, “I see where he was trying [to go],” Anthony laughed.

“He wasn’t completely tripping, but he was tripping.” Melo during the broadcast offered Luka Doncic as his comp on-air with Clark and added more players to the list on his podcast. “Caitlin Clark got like, she got a little Steph, she got Haliburton. To me, she plays like Haliburton,” Anthony explained. “Luka, she plays a little bit like Luka. She knows angles, she manipulates you on offense like Luka.”

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Bending angles and creating open looks are what Haliburton and Doncic do for their respective teams. That’s what Anthony suggested when comparing Clark with other point guards. But Reggie Miller stayed on his initial comparisons despite backlash from the netizens.

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Pranav Kotai

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Pranav Kotai is an editor at EssentiallySports, specializing in basketball coverage with a focus on trade dynamics and front-office decision-making. Having previously worked on the Trade Desk vertical, he brought clarity to how salary cap pressures and roster needs shape NBA transactions. His insightful coverage of the Philadelphia 76ers’ decision to hold firm on Joel Embiid amid trade speculation highlights how market context and team strategy influence major roster moves. Before joining EssentiallySports, Pranav holds experience of skills in professional writing, editorial work, and digital content creation. He holds a postgraduate diploma in digital media from a reputed institute, where he mastered the tools to create engaging and credible content across various platforms. Known for his attention to detail, proficiency in storytelling, and editorial expertise, Pranav combines deep basketball knowledge with sharp analytical abilities to deliver clear, insightful perspectives on the complexities of NBA trades and team management.

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