How will Paige Adjust to the WNBA? | The Boneyard

How will Paige Adjust to the WNBA?

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Like every rookie, Paige would require a little time to adjust to the WNBA game. I do think Paige’s basketball IQ is off the charts and she possesses a more complete game than Clark, particularly on defense. However long it takes, Paige will become a superstar in the W and a fixture as the starting pg on the US Olympic team.
 
Adjust? Sure. But it will be a little different for Paige. The flash and hype that Clark has puts a large target on her back. Paige (probably) will have a little less flash and hype and a little smaller target.

I can't see DT trash talking Paige. Others might, but not DT. In general UConn sticks up for UConn and there's a lot of UConn in the W.
 
Skeets said:
Adjust? Sure. But it will be a little different for Paige. The flash and hype that Clark has puts a large target on her back. Paige (probably) will have a little less flash and hype and a little smaller target.

I can't see DT trash talking Paige. Others might, but not DT. In general UConn sticks up for UConn and there's a lot of UConn in the W.
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She did block the * out of Nika her first game lmao. No trash talk, but she won’t go easy on her that’s for sure.
 
Skeets said:
Adjust? Sure. But it will be a little different for Paige. The flash and hype that Clark has puts a large target on her back. Paige (probably) will have a little less flash and hype and a little smaller target.

I can't see DT trash talking Paige. Others might, but not DT. In general UConn sticks up for UConn and there's a lot of UConn in the W.
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Not sure there will be any less hype for Paige than Clark, particularly if the Huskies win a national championship and/or Paige earns NPOY honors next season.

As to DT “trash talking” Clark, let’s be clear, DT simply pointed out that Clark will be facing a number of veteran teams and defenders in the W, and she would not come into the league and immediately dominate as she did in college. Unfortunately, a number of bloggers and media outlets then misrepresented DT’s remarks as unwarranted criticism of Clark.

Just a few games into her pro career, many of those same sports media folks are circling back to DT’s remarks about Clark to acknowledge that her comments were “spot on.”
 
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Thought about this as well. It's hard to say without seeing PB in her final year. Obviously it's the most talented league with a lot of great athletes. I think CC style is so different. She was such a a high usage player with the ball in her hands a lot at Iowa. Very high risk high reward. Im sure she had games with close to 10 turnovers in college. I guess there is the discussion with Paige but similarly is CC best at point guard? Time will tell, I really think she should split time even more with Grace Berger and not run the offense as much. Like they should be getting their other high draft picks the ball to put less pressure on CC.
But I do think some of the Twitter scout criticism was right about Caitlin. It seems she needs to get more comfortable in the mid range. Going right she tends to drive hall the way, going left she tends to go for the step back. Like I don't think she shoots pull ups or post fade aways. The W knows that and now the person on u is a better athlete and the person at the rim is bigger and more physical. So I think she's having a tougher time getting off shots cuz she's a bit limited in terms of shot creation. Sounds insane, and it's not a shot but just an observation. I think she'll eventually be better though, just a tough schedule to start.
I think Paige is much better in the mid range. But she could improve going left and finishing left. Also she should probably continue to get stronger so she can finish or even shoot in the mid range around bodies. Also she has to make quicker decisions and be ready to shoot.
One last thing, in Paige favor. She's really played with pros and has probably gone against pros in practice. I don't know how practice works but she is playing players just as athletic and strong. Even this year, if she's defending KC and Azzi and KK, I don't think the step up will be that crazy. At Iowa CC not sure anyone in the gym was even close to her level. Especially like the backups who probably went against the starters
 
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This tweet summarizes any rookie situation pretty well, and for folks that are new to the WNBA that thought CC was going to come into the W and immediately continue with what she did in college, a good lesson. Although you can have freshmen phenoms in college WBB, most of us fans here know that it's rare in the WNBA.
 
It’s the usual funnel phenomenon we’re all familiar with. In HS, most of the kids you play against will not move on to D1 basketball. Some of your opponents are 14 or 15. We all know it takes freshmen a little time to adjust to teams stocked with better talent and no 14 year olds. Only the very best of this group will make it into the W, and rookies will once again be the youngster going up against veterans with a lot more experience and comparable talent.

In addition to everything else, there’s a ton of pressure on Caitlin to live up to the hype. I wondered if she might be better used at sg instead of pg, but even that would be a difficult change, and I suspect the coach is feeling some pressure from the fans to feature Caitlin with the ball in her hands as much as possible. I feel for Caitlin and have a feeling she’ll find her sea legs soon enough. Talent will out. Just as she was overhyped before the season, now she’s being over criticized after only two games.
 
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I agree with one of @jdote33 ‘s points. Because of her ball dominance in a high octane offense Clark got pegged as a point guard. Overlooked were the 4.7 turnovers per game and a A/T ratio under 2.0 with teammates that shot 53%. I believe she is also in the top five for most turnovers all time for a college player.

Put her in a role like Plum, or maybe even Ogunbowale, and Clark should thrive. But expect her to be the main facilitator of your offense probably means your offense is not destined to work well.

Bueckers on the other hand should be a point guard. Her better athleticism and BBIQ would also enable her to do well “out of position,” but a team using her for something other than point guard might have a problem with roster composition.
 
oldude said:
Not sure there will be any less hype for Paige than Clark, particularly if the Huskies win a national championship and/or Paige earns NPOY honors next season.

As to DT “trash talking” Clark, let’s be clear, DT simply pointed out that Clark will be facing a number of veteran teams and defenders in the W, and she would not come into the league and immediately dominate as she did in college. Unfortunately, a number of bloggers and media outlets then misrepresented DT’s remarks as unwarranted criticism of Clark.

Just a few games into her pro career, many of those same sports media folks are circling back to DT’s remarks about Clark to acknowledge that her comments were “spot on.”
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DR didn’t even do THAT. She was asked about how the rookie class will adjust and what they can expect, she didn’t specifically call out Clark in the Van Pelt interview. It enrages me that this false take has perpetuated as it has, and continues to be, even by friendlies. But above all, she was obviously right, though it’s not really rocket science. Rookies gonna do rookie things. My opinion jibes with others, though…Paige is a smarter, more well-rounded and relentless player who doesn’t pout and stand idly in the corner. She may turn out to be an exception to the rookie rules, but no shocker if she’s not. It’s a completely different stage, and Betnijah and DiJonai not laying out the red carpet for any ‘annointed one.’
 
Fanofball said:
We’ve seen CC’s struggles, how’s Paige gonna fair? The veteran talent is giving one of the best college players in the nation lots of problems.
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WNBA players will attack a player's weaknesses as you can see with Clark's high handle and preference to go left........Paige has no such weaknesses...........her success will be based on her ability to get stronger and stay healthy...........If she's playing at 100% I expect Paige to be an even better pro than a college player............I'm not as certain about Clark........
 
Fanofball said:
We’ve seen CC’s struggles, how’s Paige gonna fair? The veteran talent is giving one of the best college players in the nation lots of problems.
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2 games in really.
Serious Baseball GIF by MLB Network
 
Will Paige adjust to the pros better than Caitlin? Yes, probably. I think so. But it will look different from what we might think adjusting looks like for Caitlin. Their skill sets aren't so different, but Paige isn't quite as limited as a shot creator. Don't get me wrong, Caitlin's step-back-3-falling-away-to-her-left is a beautiful shot. But it was crafted to befuddle college players, and pro players will be better at adjusting to it. Of course, she'll figure this out and broaden her arsenal.

But Paige is already there. She's not beholden to any particular shot. She drives left or right, she pops in midrange jumpers from either side, she writhes and contorts herself ad hoc to snake a layup past larger players every game. And as others have said, she's probably a better pg than Caitlin. Of course, as a pro pg, she won't score as much because she won't shoot as much. And there won't be as much pressure on her to score a lot because, unlike Caitlin, she won't enter the league as the D1 scoring champion. If Paige averages 18 pts and 8 assists, she'll be perceived as having a great career. For Caitlin, those numbers will disappoint fans who've been led (unfairly or not) to expect something else.
 
oldude said:
Not sure there will be any less hype for Paige than Clark, particularly if the Huskies win a national championship and/or Paige earns NPOY honors next season.

As to DT “trash talking” Clark, let’s be clear, DT simply pointed out that Clark will be facing a number of veteran teams and defenders in the W, and she would not come into the league and immediately dominate as she did in college. Unfortunately, a number of bloggers and media outlets then misrepresented DT’s remarks as unwarranted criticism of Clark.

Just a few games into her pro career, many of those same sports media folks are circling back to DT’s remarks about Clark to acknowledge that her comments were “spot on.”
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Caitlin has come into the league with an unprecedented amount of hype and acclaim. Of course the veteran players have circled the games when they play the Fever. DT is/will be proven right that CC will go through an adjustment period.

However, one aspect of Clark's game is being exposed. While in college, Clark was able to thrive without a midrange game. She could get to the basket because she was big and strong enough to handle contact. In the WNBA, most of the players are older, stronger & bigger than CC right now.

Once she incorporates a pull-up jumper into her arsenal, more space will open for her. I believe we'll see a big jump in performance next season.

As for Paige, I agree with oldude that her game is more varied and comprehensive compared to CC. Clark had the ball in her hands 90% of the time in college. In her first 2 games, Clark has had to adjust moving without the ball. Last season, Paige wasn't the primary ball handler and really worked on moving without the ball, coming off screens. She already possesses a stellar midrange and pull-up jumper.

Paige will experience a similar adjustment period, but I feel she will be well equipped as her game isn't solely dependent on scoring. On the other hand, while Clark is an incredible passer, she rose to glory primarily on being an all-time scorer.
 
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Surly1 said:
Caitlin has come into the league with an unprecedented amount of hype and acclaim. Of course the veteran players have circled the games when they play the Fever. DT is/will be proven right that CC will go through an adjustment period.

However, one aspect of Clark's game is being exposed. While in college, Clark was able to thrive without a midrange game. She could get to the basket because she was big and strong enough to handle contact. In the WNBA, most of the players are older, stronger & bigger than CC right now.

Once she incorporates a pull-up jumper into her arsenal, more space will open for her. I believe we'll see a big jump in performance next season.

As for Paige, I agree with oldude that her game is more varied and comprehensive compared to CC. Clark had the ball in her hands 90% of the time in college. In her first 2 games, Clark has had to adjust moving without the ball. Last season, Paige wasn't the primary ball handler and really worked on moving without the ball, coming off screens. She already possesses a stellar midrange and pull-up jumper.

Paige will experience a similar adjustment period, but I feel she will be well equipped as her game isn't solely dependent on scoring. On the other hand, while Clark is an incredible passer, she rose to glory primarily on being an all-time scorer.
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The mid range does seem to be the better shot in the WNBA. It creates space between you and the defense and it’s just what CC needs. Because PB is a middy master, she might adjust better? She’s got one more year so we’ll see if her movement around better defense improves. CC has stated before that off the dribble shots aren’t her strong suit, so a mid range could take a lot of time.
 
Paige is tailor made for the WNBA, or any league. She can just do so many things, and do them so well, without even scoring a point. CC and Paige are two completely different players, who play the game completely differently!
 
The only adjustment Paige has to make is knowing that the W is a collection of great players - there is no time for breathers. I believe she is already aware of that and, barring injury, she will be working through the year to get in better physical shape, if possible - she was in great shape late last year (I actually expected her to slow down because she hadn't played for a year).

As to how she sees the game and executes it, she is already there: as a 1, 2 or 3. Her best position is still the 1 but her prospective team will probably see what Phoenix did to DT (a 1 and 2 at the same time, with an occasional foray at 3). If that team is persuaded that is the best use for Paige, she doesn't need to make any adjustments on offense.....and, just as we saw this year, her defense well on its way - better than many among those already in the W.

I would say, yeah! Ask her to do what Phoenix did to DT and she will deliver: early on, more SG.......as time goes by, share in playmaking with the PG.......in times of tactical necessity, slide into 3 for optically, a 3G lineup. Whether she gets as much hype or not entering the W, off the ball to start relieves a lot of the pressure and give her time to calibrate her mind and body to the pace in the W and the athleticism therein.
 
Fanofball said:
The mid range does seem to be the better shot in the WNBA. It creates space between you and the defense and it’s just what CC needs. Because PB is a middy master, she might adjust better? She’s got one more year so we’ll see if her movement around better defense improves. CC has stated before that off the dribble shots aren’t her strong suit, so a mid range could take a lot of time.
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I agree on all counts. Their skill sets are a bit different. As a shotmaker/creator, I'd compare Paige more to Jewell Loyd than to Caitlin. As a passer she has all of Caitlin's flair and maybe slightly better vision, which equals fewer turnovers. And she's a lanky, instinctive defender, sort of like a mini-Stewie: surprising blocks and steals that leave you scratching your head.
 
Bone Dog said:
I agree on all counts. Their skill sets are a bit different. As a shotmaker/creator, I'd compare Paige more to Jewell Loyd than to Caitlin. As a passer she has all of Caitlin's flair and maybe slightly better vision, which equals fewer turnovers. And she's a lanky, instinctive defender, sort of like a mini-Stewie: surprising blocks and steals that leave you scratching your head.
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Also agree. people always say the only thing that separates their games is the logo three, which is proof they don’t watch anything beyond Twitter highlights. The mid range is by far the most significant difference that separates their games. 3s may get more points but mid ranges are harder to guard, and you risk fouling doing so. The ball handling is also better on PB’s end, her handles are a lot better and she turns it over less.
 
Fanofball said:
The mid range is by far the most significant difference that separates their games
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I can’t help but agree here. I’ve written entire dissertations on the significance of the midrange game for Geno’s offense. And Paige is the perfect embodiment of it. Azzi too, when pressed, has an awesome midrange game, and as we learned last season, Ash does too. This is a vital part of the bucket-getter’s arsenal.

It also suits the UConn offensive pace: get the score and set the defense. Don’t slow the game down shooting free throws needlessly. There’s a time for trying to get the and-one as well. But in the first and third quarters, Geno seems to prefer the shock and awe style of play, and midrange jumpers work better in this.
 
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As a huge PB supporter I’m a little worried for her. I think it depends on the team and its setup. She’s already kind of passive now. I could see her shooting even less than she already is. And shes not even shooting all that little, we just have needed her to be more on that aggressive side. If she can’t be aggressive in college, I can’t imagine she’ll be aggressive in the W. She’s always gonnna have that IQ though. Not as much turnovers and way smarter passes.

I’d like to see her be the true pg role and decision maker again. Hopkins she passed or scored at her discretion, but her teammates could be relied on to do their job. UConn has been too injury prone or not played to their potential. That college to draft to preseason to season is so quick it’s unfair for all women athletes. She will struggle but I hope her health and her confidence allows her to do the extraordinary
 
I think, Paige, like any rookie, will adjust according to their expectations of themselves and their team expectations. Clark is pressing too hard out there. She just needs to let the game come to her and things will fall into place. Paige, depending on the team around her and how she approaches the game, will adjust. If my memory serves, I only remember Candace Parker being the only (true) rookie that came in and really owned the stage from the jump. I could be wrong, which won't be the first time.
 
I think it ultimately comes down to how she gets used. If she lands on a team with a good system and good team chemistry I think she could be excellent from the get go.

Clark has struggled early, but to be fair it seems like primarily an Indiana issue rather than specifically Caitlin. Sides isn’t playing to player strengths at all and the team looks like a mess. If Paige walks into a situation like that, she’ll struggle. If she joins a better run franchise, she could thrive immediately.
 
JellyBean said:
I think, Paige, like any rookie, will adjust according to their expectations of themselves and their team expectations. Clark is pressing too hard out there. She just needs to let the game come to her and things will fall into place. Paige, depending on the team around her and how she approaches the game, will adjust. If my memory serves, I only remember Candace Parker being the only (true) rookie that came in and really owned the stage from the jump. I could be wrong, which won't be the first time.
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Well.....since you are probably not going to consider Lauren Jackson a true rooke for not coming from College, there were others, in fact who ended up winning ROY honors for excellent play and led their teams. Starting late:

Sue Bird transformed the Seattle Storm and elevated Lauren Jackson's play even more - as the PG, that was great success which earned her 2nd place in the ROY voting but voted an All-Star

Swin Cash for the Shock, Seimone Augustus for the Lynx, Sylvia Fowles for the Sky (though injury limited her rookie season to 17 games) had great playing starts to their WNBA careers.

Elena Delle Donne, Chicago Sky had a great rookie season
Tamika Catchings, Indiana Fever
Diana Taurasi, Phoenix Suns
Maya Moore, Minnesota Lynx
Breanna Stewart, Seattle Storm
and Aja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces

Like Candace Parker, all of them won the ROY, except for runner-up Bird who finished 2nd to Tamika.

But only Maya led her team to the championship her rookie year. Bird in her 3rd year, Diana in her 4th year, I believe Stewie was also in her 3rd year and Swin in her 2nd year.

Parker was indeed a great player but drafted in 2008 into a good Sparks team, she didn't lead them to a title until 2016 with most valuable help from Nneka Ogwumike, 5 years after the latter was drafted. The year before Candace was drafted, Diana won her first title in 2007 and Bird in 2004 and Swin in 2003 and 2006 with Detroit Shock

During Parker's tenure with the Sparks from 2008 to 2020 (13 years), she won that one title in 2016. In the span of those years, a UConn great led her team to the title - this happened 9 times in 13 years.....courtesy of Diana (2X), Sue (3X) with Stewie (2X), and Maya (4X). I wouldn't say Parker owned the stage. Detroit Shock won it in 2008, Indiana Fever in 2012. Candace finally got her 2nd in 2021 with the Sky at the expense of Diana.

Too bad an injury aborted Cheryl Miller's career.
 
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Viet Vet said:
Paige is an assist machine. Clark never has been. Advantage Paige.
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Mmm, for real? I’d advise you to go look at their assists stats for their career. Clark is almost double that of Paige per game.

I’m not saying Paige isn’t a great passer — she’s amazing. What I am saying is that you obviously have no clue re Clark.
 
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