Caitlin Clark’s hype gets compared to ‘Linsanity,’ ex-NCAA player slams Fever star
Caitlin Clark’s hype came under attack after Tyrone Johnson compared her WNBA rise to Jeremy Lin’s brief Linsanity run. The take hit harder because it came after Indiana’s season-opening loss to Dallas, where Paige Bueckers helped the Wings beat the Fever in a high-scoring thriller.
Photo by Bobby Goddin/Getty Images Caitlin Clark’s hype came under attack after Tyrone Johnson compared her WNBA rise to Jeremy Lin’s brief Linsanity run. The take hit harder because it came after Indiana’s season-opening loss to Dallas, where Paige Bueckers helped the Wings beat the Fever in a high-scoring thriller. That gave Johnson the opening to question Clark’s place among the league’s best guards and challenge whether her popularity will hold up over time.
Photo by Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images Caitlin Clark’s hype gets dismissed after losing against Paige Bueckers On the Craig Carton Show , Tyrone Johnson said Clark’s spotlight has already started to fade because he does not view her as the WNBA’s best player or guard. “The Caitlin Clark thing is over because she’s not the best player in the WNBA. She’s not the best guard in the WNBA,” Johnson said.
He added, “She’s not even the best guard from her college class because that’s Paige Bueckers, who plays for Dallas, who beat them in the season opener. ” The Bueckers comparison gave the criticism its sharpest edge. Dallas beat Indiana 107-104 in the opener, with Bueckers scoring 20 points on efficient shooting while Clark also finished with 20 points but struggled from three.
That result gave critics a clean storyline. Clark remains the bigger commercial force, but Bueckers got the first win in their latest head-to-head chapter. Johnson used that game to argue that the basketball conversation is starting to catch up with the hype.