Caitlin Clark and Stephen Curry have been compared a lot since the WNBA star’s rookie year. Both have similar ball-handling skill sets, impeccable shooting from beyond the arc, and, frankly, the ability to electrify a crowd. But now, in year three, data may have revealed a glaring difference between her and Curry.

The WNBA recently introduced the gravity metric, which measures a player’s ability to draw defenders on the court. Clark, considered one of the best PGs in the league, is nowhere near the top of the list, and analyst Rachel A. DeMita explained why that’s the case, using Steph Curry comparisons, of course. 

“I thought this was so interesting because Caitlin Clark is far down this list. I think when we think about gravity, we think that she is the number one player, because how many teams shift their defenses to adapt to Caitlin?” DeMita said. 

Clark has an overall gravity rating of just 3.9, which places her well out of the top 10 in the season leaderboard. It’s shocking, considering how much she moves on offense and how long her shooting range is. She’s also an elite-level playmaker. But the metrics actually make sense when dissected. 

“Her (CC) on-ball gravity is some of the highest in all of these rankings,” DeMita continued. “Like they have her at 5.3 and a 4.4. When it comes to perimeter on-ball gravity minutes, she is at 5.3, and Sonia Citron is 2.4. And then when you look at the off-ball gravity, that’s when things change.

“So, her perimeter off-ball gravity is high. But when you look at her interior off-ball gravity, that’s when it starts getting lower. I think that’s just so interesting when we’re talking about some of the biggest topics of conversation, is Caitlin Clark playing off the ball? And I do think, there’s something to Steph Curry’s game that Caitlin Clark doesn’t have.”

The gravity metric doesn’t just consider a player’s on-ball pulling capacity. Instead, it also considers the players’ impact when the ball is not in the players’ hands. Clark ranks lower in that second category

Of course, Clark does command attention, but she doesn’t terrorize opposition defenders as Stephen Curry does. The Golden State Warriors’ legend moves with the same intensity when the ball isn’t in his hands. 

Curry’s extensive skill set with the ball pulls even more defenders toward him. Off-the-ball, he provides screens to disrupt the defense. Furthermore, his staple throw-and-shoot motion forces defenders to chase him, creating gaps in the opposition’s defensive rotation.

Meanwhile, Clark is still relatively a work in progress in that regard and mostly relies on pick-and-roll coverage to pull defenders. The lack of tricks without the ball is largely to blame for Clark’s lower position on the gravity leaderboard, despite having one of the highest perimeter on-ball gravity minute totals in the league (5.3). 

CC’s off-ball perimeter gravity (2.9) is still considerable, but still far less than players like Sonia Citron (10.8) and Marina Mabrey (9.5).

But, given the Indiana Fever’s approach to use Caitlin Clark in an off-the-ball role, it might take some time to develop these skills as she settles into it. 

Indiana Fever teammates Kelsey Mitchell and Sophie Cunningham beat Caitlin Clark in gravity rankings

From a general perspective, it’s surprising to hear a different player besides Clark take the spot in the gravity leaderboard. The Fever guard is leading her team in points (23.8), assists (9.0), and blocks (1.0). But despite that, Clark is below Kelsey Mitchell and Sophie Cunningham in terms of gravity.

Mitchell leads the list among the Fever players with an average gravity of 5.9. Cunningham falls second in 4.8. The off-ball gravity again creates the difference here for Clark. For instance, Mitchell boasts a perimeter off-ball gravity of 7.6, much higher than what Clark has.

Similarly, Mitchell’s interior off-ball gravity is higher, averaging over 2. Cunningham, too, has a perimeter off-ball gravity of 4.7 and an interior off-ball gravity of 1.5. Irrespective of it, Clark’s on-ball perimeter exceeds both Mitchell’s and Cunningham’s.

It’s a perfect metric for understanding Caitlin Clark’s importance to the Indiana Fever’s lineup, especially when she handles the ball. Mitchell and Cunningham might be better in terms of overall gravity, but when it comes to on-the-ball movement, very few can match CC.

That’s why she remains one of the most dangerous offensive players in the league.