Forget the versus debate for a minute, can we just appreciate how Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers have changed the landscape of women’s basketball? It’s not often that you strike gold with such talent two years in a row. Although they’re both guards, they’re different in all the ways that matter. Similar stardom? Sure. Similar height? Yes. But the way they play basketball is completely different. Clark is a walking highlight reel, and Bueckers is calm, controlled, and strikes with surgical precision. Fans can’t help but ask which one of the two is better, and here’s the truth…

It’s not that simple. Paige Bueckers has been absolutely phenomenal this year, headlining a bruised and battered Dallas Wings team. Although she hasn’t been winning games, the six-foot-tall guard is the undisputed Rookie of the Year because of her individual brilliance. But when we’re talking about Caitlin Clark, we’re talking about something bigger than sports. The WNBA reached an entirely different level because of the Indiana Fever star, and her performances were out of this world.

So, is it really fair to compare the two in their rookie seasons? Well, Sabreena Merchant and Zena Keita did just that on the latest episode of the No Offseason pod. Merchant brought up how most star rookies were often wings and forwards, think of Candace Parker, Aliyah Boston. “So, Caitlin was sort of an anomaly, and then Paige comes and it’s like, well, I guess it’s not an anomaly because Paige is doing a lot of the things that Caitlin did, right?” Sabreena Merchant said. She pointed out how Caitlin Clark has always been “a little bit of a volume stat producer,” because the Indiana Fever guard was outperforming her Dallas counterpart in nearly every column.

For reference, CC averaged 19.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 8.4 assists in her rookie year. In comparison, the Dallas Wings guard has been lacking, especially in the playmaking sector. Merchant was quick to point that out, highlighting the 3.2 APG gap between them as a major difference in their playstyles. “I think Caitlin takes a little bit more risk in transition and pushes the pace a little bit more. And the creative playmaking that you see out of Caitlin is something that’s just not there with Paige yet.” 

But that’s not just because of individual playing styles; it also has to do with team composition. Indiana’s front office made sure to surround CC with Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston, a star on a one-year supermax and an upcoming young talent. “Maybe that’s a function of their teammates, right? Like Caitlin’s throwing the ball to Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston, and there’s no Aliyah Boston on the Dallas swings, although Arike, who’s kind of your Kelsey Mitchell comparison there.” So, even though fans were doubting the Fever’s $332K commitment to Mitchell and Boston, it ended up working out pretty well.

All of it boiled down to one statement from Sabreena Merchant. “So, I think I can’t call Paige’s rookie season the best by guard because Caitlin still has her beat on a lot of categories and leads her team to the playoffs, right?” And we think that explains it pretty well. Even ESPN came out with its opinion about who is better of the two starry young guards. Let’s find out what the broadcasting company had to say about this debate.

“Clark, and then who?”: ESPN takes a surprising stance in the Bueckers v Clark debate

While we’re all familiar with the lists that ESPN puts out every year, ranking players through different metrics and situations, the broadcasting company has put out quite an interesting article. This season, they’re talking about the top 25 players under the age of 25, putting an emphasis on young talent and high ceilings. We know that the 2024 and 2025 first overall picks are both top two in this situation, but who’s where?

Well, according to columnist Michael Voepel, Caitlin Clark is the unanimous pick at 1. “The 23-year-old brings an unmatched excitement factor every time she’s on court, and her confidence spreads to the whole team,” he wrote, praising the Indiana Fever star’s intangibles alongside the huge upside she brings to the team. Of course, CC can shoot, she can pass, and she’s an amazing teammate. Not to mention, she’s the ultimate competitor. “She is also the biggest draw on the road of any WNBA player, so her effect on the entire league is huge.” 

On the other hand, Paige Bueckers came into the league with higher expectations than anyone else in her draft. Alexa Philippou from ESPN wrote, “Expectations were high for Bueckers entering the pros, with one GM telling ESPN, ‘She’ll be a Hall of Famer.'” They were expecting the floor to be high, but did the GMs know that the ceiling would be too? Paige Bueckers is standing on business and making it clear that she’s here to dominate.

“In Year 1, she has largely lived up to the hype and is on pace to join Clark as the only players to average 19 points and 5 assists in their rookie season,” she continued. The Dallas Wings star recently broke the all-time single-game scoring record against the Sparks, and she’s showing no signs of stopping.

Even though ESPN has taken a definitive stance on the Paige Bueckers vs. Caitlin Clark debate, it’s still a matter of preference. There are no losers here, even if you switch the number one and number two spots, because both players are just so good! It will be interesting to see how they develop throughout the course of their careers.