I think evaluating Clark is a very nuanced task. First, yes, she’s a volume shooter. If she wasn’t averaging nearly 30 ppg taking as many shots as she does, there would be a major issue. But you must admit that she makes a lot of shots, and is a really good shooter. When I compare her to Paige, a big difference is shot selection. Paige doesn’t really take many poor shots. While Clark is willing to pull up from near half court. If she exercised the same shot selection, I don’t think anybody would continue to pick on her efficiency.
On the contrary, a big result of her crazy shots, is that she creates a sense of panic for defenses. Players fear that she will shoot at any moment, from any spot. And she’s made enough of them in her career that you must honor that. It creates a flurry of defensive attention, all directed at her, all of the time. Since she’s so comfortable handling the ball, she is often able to cause a defensive error, dribble out of it, and either spot up or drop a dime. That defensive panic opens up her teammates, a lot. That’s why her assist numbers are so great. She may taken bad shots, but the mere idea that she’s going to shoot creates so many opportunities for her teammates.
If I am to critique one thing, it’s that she sometimes struggles with knowing the value of a possession. In their first meeting with K State, I felt like she took and missed a lot of ill advised shots. Basically felt like a turnover. In the second meeting, I thought she took better shots, and knocked in big ones in crunch time. Sometimes I wish she would know, we need a score on this possession, so let’s get a high percentage look opposed to the high risk high reward 35 footer.