Should Clark be on the Olympic team?

[cancontent]

With Taurasi, Stewie, Phee and now BG battling significant injury, looks like Clark will be in Paris after all. Wonder if they’ll add Angel as well?

Are they all "significant" injuries?

The suggestion that these injuries were significant was a tad exaggerated. Taurasi and Griner are back.

Nothing has been said either way as to whether Stewart's injury is significant. Just that it's a strained muscle. Until they say more, I'm leaning towards it's a day-to-day thing. And considering this compressed schedule, these types of injuries aren't surprising.

During today's Minnesota-Indianapolis game, the announcers said Collier would be ready to play at the Olympics. Considering the injury, it would still be up in the air in my opinion. I see friends struggle with plantar fasciitis and they aren't as active as Collier. That's a tricky one.

 

[DRR25]

You feel the rest of the team wouldn't want to be getting great passes from Clark for easy baskets?

Yup, that makes sense...

Clark makes great passes but she has zero chemistry with the other players. Look how long it took Clark and her teammates to develop chemistry (which is still a work in progress but a thousand times better than the beginning of the season). There's no time for that. No doubt Clark is elite when it comes to court vision and passing but there are other players on Team USA who can make great passes.

 

[DRR25]

You feel the rest of the team wouldn't want to be getting great passes from Clark for easy baskets?

Yup, that makes sense...

And not only can other teammates make great passes but they know where their teammates like the ball and have already developed a chemistry which means fewer turnovers, more baskets.

 

[David54]

My best argument for including Clark on the team is not to make this years team better but to give future Olympic teams a roster with more Olympic experience.

 

[The deacon]

My best argument for including Clark on the team is not to make this years team better but to give future Olympic teams a roster with more Olympic experience.

Yup... at this point, our next team wouldn't have a soul under age 30 with any Olympic experience. That's pretty darned bad planning.

 

[cancontent]

Yup... at this point, our next team wouldn't have a soul under age 30 with any Olympic experience. That's pretty darned bad planning.

Aren't there FIBA events throughout the next four years that would help to deal with that? The qualification events and World Cup could mitigate that issue.

 

[WLT1717]

Yes.

 

[WBBTakeover]

Yes.

x 100000000000000

 

[Bjbod]

x 100000000000000

Last night's game shows CC doesn't have to score to impact games, and she doesn't even care.
Another argument refuted.

 

[EricLA]

Yes absolutely. Based on the all star game, Clark, Reese, and Ogunbowale should be on the team, while Thomas, Loyd, and Young should be off the team.

And throw in Alisha Clark to replace Chelsea Gray for good measure...

 

[Ladeeeeda]

Aren't there FIBA events throughout the next four years that would help to deal with that? The qualification events and World Cup could mitigate that issue.

World Championships will be during the wnba season in 2026 and the league will not pause for that. USA has appealed to FIBA, but they haven't changed their decision, yet.

 

[hoopsnloops32]

World Championships will be during the wnba season in 2026 and the league will not pause for that. USA has appealed to FIBA, but they haven't changed their decision, yet.

Interesting. At the beginning of the college semester too so might be a tough time to get college AND WNBA players. I think USA basketball takes WNBA players and those teams will have to play a week or two without their top players. We will see though.

 

[cancontent]

World Championships will be during the wnba season in 2026 and the league will not pause for that. USA has appealed to FIBA, but they haven't changed their decision, yet.

Well that sucks. That's one less tournament to help prep as a whole. This also impacts Canada too from a WNBA player perspective.

Interesting. At the beginning of the college semester too so might be a tough time to get college AND WNBA players. I think USA basketball takes WNBA players and those teams will have to play a week or two without their top players. We will see though.

With another year and change to go, hopefully FIBA sees that it would be for the benefit of the game, but again.....it is FIBA.

 

[JellyBean]

The 72 of us that voted for Caitlin, we are on the right side of history We know she is going to be on the next Olympic roster.

 

[EricLA]

The 72 of us that voted for Caitlin, we are on the right side of history We know she is going to be on the next Olympic roster.

What does her being on the next Olympic roster have to do with being on the right side of history? Actually, I think she will be on the next Team USA world championship team in 2026, never mind the Olympics in 2028... I have a feeling Reese will be too... Doubtful Dee will be there in 2 years, Thomas as well, and without any other roster changes, those 2 could step right on.

Of course a lot of other things could change in the next 2-4 years. New stars rising, current stars fading, etc. But one thing to keep in mind - there is more to being on Team USA than just being one of the most productive or top players in the WNBA. They need to show up for mini camps, and be a great "teammate" for whatever USA asks of them. Players like Parker learned that the hard way.

 

[GirlBoo1020]

What does her being on the next Olympic roster have to do with being on the right side of history? Actually, I think she will be on the next Team USA world championship team in 2026, never mind the Olympics in 2028... I have a feeling Reese will be too... Doubtful Dee will be there in 2 years, Thomas as well, and without any other roster changes, those 2 could step right on.

Of course a lot of other things could change in the next 2-4 years. New stars rising, current stars fading, etc. But one thing to keep in mind - there is more to being on Team USA than just being one of the most productive or top players in the WNBA. They need to show up for mini camps, and be a great "teammate" for whatever USA asks of them. Players like Parker learned that the hard way.

Since we are talking about the next Olympics already, there are gonna be a lot of open spots on that 2028 Olympic team. I'd say the only spots I'm confident are returning (outside of injury at the wrong time) are A'ja (young and just peaking now), Sabrina (young and just peaking now), Phee (Young and just peaking now). Gray, Taurasi, BG and AT i think will definitely be done with either basketball or USA basketball by the time 2028 rolls around.
That leaves Jewel, KP, Jackie, Stewie, and Copper competing with the new blood for an Olympic return. Of that group I only really see Stewie and MAYBE Jackie being in strong consideration for a spot, just based on age and performance trajectory. That will leave minimum 7 spots open for all the new talent but up to 9 new players could be on that 2028 team depending on how things go.

My hottake unpopular opinion is I don't think Reese will be on that 2028 team. Not because I don't think she is great right now or has the potential but because I think she showed last year she has a tough time focusing in the offseason without the structure and discipline of the season. I'm not surprised she is doing so well her first season in the league because she jumped right in after college but I have more questions around how she will return for year 2. And then year 3 etc etc. But we will see!

 

[cancontent]

Since we are talking about the next Olympics already, there are gonna be a lot of open spots on that 2028 Olympic team. I'd say the only spots I'm confident are returning (outside of injury at the wrong time) are A'ja (young and just peaking now), Sabrina (young and just peaking now), Phee (Young and just peaking now). Gray, Taurasi, BG and AT i think will definitely be done with either basketball or USA basketball by the time 2028 rolls around.
That leaves Jewel, KP, Jackie, Stewie, and Copper competing with the new blood for an Olympic return. Of that group I only really see Stewie and MAYBE Jackie being in strong consideration for a spot, just based on age and performance trajectory. That will leave minimum 7 spots open for all the new talent but up to 9 new players could be on that 2028 team depending on how things go.

My hottake unpopular opinion is I don't think Reese will be on that 2028 team. Not because I don't think she is great right now or has the potential but because I think she showed last year she has a tough time focusing in the offseason without the structure and discipline of the season. I'm not surprised she is doing so well her first season in the league because she jumped right in after college but I have more questions around how she will return for year 2. And then year 3 etc etc. But we will see!

Last year could also been seen as an anomaly because the demand for her was significantly different than previous seasons. She did show that she could compete internationally with her performance at FIBA Americas however. Considering 2028 is four years away, the case could be made that she'll learn to develop better habits for the off-season as she gets acclimated to playing at the pro level.

 

[GirlBoo1020]

Last year could also been seen as an anomaly because the demand for her was significantly different than previous seasons. She did show that she could compete internationally with her performance at FIBA Americas however. Considering 2028 is four years away, the case could be made that she'll learn to develop better habits for the off-season as she gets acclimated to playing at the pro level.

It could be and I considered that but some counter points:
1) I'd imagine her demand this off season will be even greater than last off season with even less structure for the offseason than college where you have summer sessions, and to your point, the Fiba America games.
2) I actually thought she didn't look very good during the Fiba America games and then she looked even worse come the beginning of the college season.
3) And then I think the biggest thing that gives me pause with Angel are the skills she lacks and areas she struggles in most are largely skills developed in offseasons. She plays on pure instinct, athletic ability and bb IQ which is amazing and can't be taught but in areas that CAN be taught she hasn't made much improvement. Her jump shot, her handle, back to the basket game, finishing etc, are all things have have remained stagnant since high school. That gives me a bit of pause overall.

All of this isn't to say she won't use the offseason to get better now that she is in the W or that she has peaked as player. I just think it will take her a bit of time to figure out that aspect of being a pro player and I'm not sure she will figure it out fast enough to make the 2028 Olympic team. If she does lock is as soon as this off season, forget about it, she is a definite Olympian. I just a little am a little skeptical it will happen that quickly for her.

 

[cancontent]

It could be and I considered that but some counter points:
1) I'd imagine her demand this off season will be even greater than last off season with even less structure for the offseason than college where you have summer sessions, and to your point, the Fiba America games.
2) I actually thought she didn't look very good during the Fiba America games and then she looked even worse come the beginning of the college season.
3) And then I think the biggest thing that gives me pause with Angel are the skills she lacks and areas she struggles in most are largely skills developed in offseasons. She plays on pure instinct, athletic ability and bb IQ which is amazing and can't be taught but in areas that CAN be taught she hasn't made much improvement. Her jump shot, her handle, back to the basket game, finishing etc, are all things have have remained stagnant since high school. That gives me a bit of pause overall.

All of this isn't to say she won't use the offseason to get better now that she is in the W or that she has peaked as player. I just think it will take her a bit of time to figure out that aspect of being a pro player and I'm not sure she will figure it out fast enough to make the 2028 Olympic team. If she does lock is as soon as this off season, forget about it, she is a definite Olympian. I just a little am a little skeptical it will happen that quickly for her.

It's fair to be skeptical, but it came across that you're basing your opinion solely on last season without the additional context you provided here. With Weatherspoon as her coach, I have a hard time seeing her tolerate poor work ethic. I'm willing to give Reese the benefit of the doubt for a season or two to see if she learns and puts in the work.

 

[GirlBoo1020]

It's fair to be skeptical, but it came across that you're basing your opinion solely on last season without the additional context you provided here. With Weatherspoon as her coach, I have a hard time seeing her tolerate poor work ethic. I'm willing to give Reese the benefit of the doubt for a season or two to see if she learns and puts in the work.

That's fair, I really like Angel and didn't want to pile on initially so just left at her most recent offseason performance.
I agree that I think Weatherspoon will be great for Reese. I'm just not sure how much WNBA coaches have influencer or even interaction with players during the offseason. If she were her college coach, I think this issue would have been fixed in 2021 but the nature of the WNBA coach/player relationship might take a bit longer but we will see, I really am pretty ignorant to what WNBA coaches do with their players in the offseason.

 

[baggerbob]

Well that sucks. That's one less tournament to help prep as a whole. This also impacts Canada too from a WNBA player perspective.

With another year and change to go, hopefully FIBA sees that it would be for the benefit of the game, but again.....it is FIBA.

Just tell them the USA insn't going to compete to defend their title. As far as sponsorship goes none of the media companies would spend money to show their tournament without the USA team.