Stephanie White’s strategic plan for Caitlin Clark that had stirred the community is suddenly seeming like a league benchmark now. Even before the first preseason game, White had clearly outlined an off-the-ball role for CC going into the season. It sparked significant dissent against White, especially over her approach to experimenting with Clark’s skill set. But Jose Fernandez seems to be a staunch supporter of it, remarking that he wants to do the same with her franchise player.

In the Dallas Wings’ latest press conference, Fernandez initially heaped praise on Paige Bueckers for an impressive Fever outing before dropping the bombshell of using the latter off-the-ball.

“I thought she did well. She scored 20 points and did a very good job defensively. For me, I want to save Paige’s legs down the stretch in the fourth quarter. The more I can play her off the ball,” Fernandez said.

“We know she is going to get trapped at the point guard spot in so many pick-and-roll situations. And also, when she is at the point guard spot, as other teams do, they pick her up 94 feet and try to wear her out for 60 of it. For now, that’s what our lineup is, and that’s what I’m going to go with.”

The similarity between Paige Bueckers and Caitlin Clark is that they’re both their teams’ primary ball-handlers. Be it in a quick offensive transition or on the drive, the ball mostly stays in their hands, who, in turn, dictate the play.

But a consistent effort in this regard just diminishes their stronghold actions, like shooting. As a result, it’s only substantial that the respective head coach reframes the team structure in a way where they won’t have to drive the ball in every sequence and can just move off-ball on the other end and get the ball in the second or third touch to improve the offensive output to an extent.

Furthermore, consistently driving 94 feet against the opponent defenders is immensely “exhausting,” as Clark said in the preseason. This alternate strategy of using Clark and Bueckers isn’t just strategically sound. But it’s a major option for their respective teams to preserve their long-term ceilings. It keeps both Clark and Bueckers out of physical play in every sequence of the game and, consequently, protects them from consistent injuries.

White has outlined her rationale for using Clark in that role, noting that it will help the latter get some comfortable shots.

“We have to do a good job of finding ways to get her high-percentage looks where she’s not always having to take and make tough shots,” White said. “And that’s getting more comfortable with one another, it’s getting her a little more comfortable in off-ball actions and getting the ball moving.”

From a team perspective, too, this strategy works perfectly for the rotations. Both the Wings and the Fever have the teammates needed to fill this role. In Wings, Bueckers has Arike Ogunbowale, while Clark has Mitchell and even Aliyah Boston to a certain extent.

So, with an array of players already on the roster who can fill that role, it would be a generous idea for their head coaches to manage their marquee players’ workloads to some extent. The role might change a bit for Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers, but none of it seems to impact their production on the court.

Paige Bueckers Outshines Caitlin Clark in the Battle of WNBA Rookie of the Year Awardees

The hype around the Indiana Fever-Dallas Wings contest was driven mainly by two players- Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers. The Gainbridge Fieldhouse looked in amazement as two No. 1 draftees and Rookie of the Year awardees squared off against each other.

As reality set in, the game was a tightrope, and so were their individual performances. Coming off an injury, Clark made substantial use of her minutes on the court, recording 20 points, 7 assists, and 5 rebounds. Against it, Bueckers also chimed in pretty impressively, scoring 20 points, along with 4 assists and 3 rebounds.

Now, from the overall numbers, it’s pretty clear that Clark might have won her contest against Bueckers. But, in terms of efficiency, the Fever guard lagged massively behind. For instance, CC scored 7 of 18 from the field in the game, missing more than 60% of her shots.

Bueckers missed just twice in the entire game, recording 8 of 10 from the field. On the flipside, Clark also struggled defensively against the Wings’ attackers. They scored 6 times from the field when Clark was the primary defender. As a result of these struggles, Clark also received a lower net rating in the game (+2) than Bueckers (+8).

But it must be noted that Caitlin Clark is coming off a season-ending injury. As a result, her fitness situation is the opposite of Bueckers’, who has been seasoned in the last few months through Unrivaled participation. Thus, it’s quite natural that CC would need a few games to settle in before she actually gets to her best.