How is CC's rookie year going to go?

[MrDollarBills]

Still no nickname?

Clark Kent
Reality
Box Office
Half Magic Half Curry
QB1
Breaker of records
Snow Leopard (play on MJ's Black Cat)
Lisan al giab!
Vision

not great but its all i got.

I can't believe I missed this

I dunno. I kinda like calling her CC. It just fits her, like how everyone knows that Jordan is MJ. I can't think of anything that screams nickname for her.

[MrDollarBills]

Like we're watching something historical in terms of sports. And the crazy part is, i feel like, no, I KNOW for a fact that she's the torch bearer for an entire generation of monsters that are coming.

Yup I think this too.

Also NBA players daughters are up next too.

Incoming Freshman:
Me'Arah O'Neal -Florida.
Izela Arenas - Louisville
Mackenly Randolph - Louisville

O'neal was ranked like 31st and the other two i think top 100

Did you ever in your wildest imagination ever think that out of anyone, Gilbert Arenas would produce not one, but two pro level prospects? His son is really good and Izela is a beast.

Mackenly Randolph is on my watch list this season. I absolutely loved her father when he played.

[MrDollarBills]

Still no nickname?

Clark Kent
Reality
Box Office
Half Magic Half Curry
QB1
Breaker of records
Snow Leopard (play on MJ's Black Cat)
Lisan al giab!
Vision

not great but its all i got.

Interesting point! She has no nickname lol. I would think Nike would have pushed for something already, but they have nothing so far. No nickname for Sabrina either. How many WNBA players have legit nicknames?

Sabrina is technically known as "Sab". I just call her Sabrina since she's pretty much the only notable Sabrina in pro sports.

[MrDollarBills]

A couple of random nicknames that I hear on broadcasts and see online: Brittney Sykes is "Slim" and Natasha Howard is "Flash."

And one from the past: Deanna "Tweety" Nolan.

These are might not be the most witty, but they're quality because they're not just initials or versions of the players' names, and they're actually used to refer to the players.

And of course Angel Reese has the "Barbie" thing going: Baltimore Barbie, Bayou Barbie, Chi Town Barbie...

But my favorite one is "KFC" for Kahleah Copper, which is used freely by broadcasters despite the fact that "F" is not her actual middle initial .

Sorry, in WNBA lore Kahleah's middle name is "F'n" and I won't hear any rebuttals

[MrDollarBills]

Read on Twitter

lol

Kate Martin has some serious size on her. I didn't realize that she was bigger than CC.

[cupcakesnake]

But if you want another nickname.

"Engine" because she is the motor and CC is the unit of engine size.

Alyssa Thomas is already "The Engine," I assume a reference to Thomas the Tank Engine.

Edit:
I've never noticed it on broadcasts, but reportedly they play engine revving noises over the PA at home games when she scores, or at least did in the past. Now I'll have to look for it to see if they still do it.

Here's her talking about how she got the nickname, but it's pretty vague.

Watch on YouTube

Tank Engine is such an accurate description of AT.

[MrDollarBills]

But if you want another nickname.

"Engine" because she is the motor and CC is the unit of engine size.

Alyssa Thomas is already "The Engine," I assume a reference to Thomas the Tank Engine.

Edit:
I've never noticed it on broadcasts, but reportedly they play engine revving noises over the PA at home games when she scores, or at least did in the past. Now I'll have to look for it to see if they still do it.

Here's her talking about how she got the nickname, but it's pretty vague.

Watch on YouTube

Tank Engine is such an accurate description of AT.

Ben Simmons is a poor man's Alyssa Thomas.

[Ice Man]

One thing that I have learned this WNBA season is that Caitlin Clark is the nastiest PG in the league. As female PGs go, she is big ... the equivalent of a 6' 5" NBA guard. And she uses that size, constantly. She pushes off, bodies up opposing PGs when driving to the hoop, leans and bangs into defenders seeking foul calls, and makes no attempt to shy away from bigs on layups. In fact, I'm pretty sure she's seeking the flagrant calls. She also looks for calls when players are face guarding her, by initiating contact and then recoiling, Jimmy Butler style.

She is doing more of this now than in earlier in the season, presumably due to gaining confidence. Yesterday's game against Dallas was a bangfest. I can't get an actual count because the WNBA play by play doesn't tell which players were fouled, but my memory is that he was fouled at least 5 times in non-shooting situations.

People compare her to Steph because they are both 3 point shooters and creative, if sometimes wild, passers. But Steph is pure finesse. He's a little guy. Whereas Caitlin acts a lot more like Luka out there (including the ongoing complaints to the officials). If I were guarding her, I would want to smack her.

[RSCD3_]

Caitlin Clark Numbers against quality of defense

Vs TOP 5 Defenses (19 G)

16.7 PPG 4.6 RPG 6.9 APG 5.6 TOPG on 38.2/29.4/95.2 splits for 53.0 TS%

Spoiler:

104 FGM 5.5 FGM/G 272 FGA 38.2 FG%
48 3PM 163 3PA 8.6 3PA/G 29.4 3P%
56 2PM 109 2PA 5.5 2PA/G 51.4 2P%
60 FTM 63 FTA 3.3 FTA/G 95.2 FT%

VS BOTTOM 6 Defenses (20 G)

22.2 PPG 6.4 RPG 9.8 APG 5.7 TOPG on 46.1/37.0/89.2 splits for 64.2 TS%

Spoiler:

136 FGM - 6.8 FGM 295 FGA 14.8 FGA/G 46.1 FG%
70 3PM 189 3PA 9.45 3PA/G 37.0 3P%
66 2PM 106 2PA 5.3 2PA/G 62.2 2P%
99 FTM 111 FTA 5.6 FTA/G 89.2 FT%

Worth noting 9 of her first 13 games were against top 5 defenses and 2 of those games against non top 5 defenses were against the sparks with a healthy cameron brink so I think the differences are more staggering than the vast gulf shown above but I think the playoffs will be a tough challenge

[Ice Man]

My take is that the good defenses slow down CC's assists and drives, and they force more turnovers. But I don't believe there is a real difference in how they guard 3s. Nobody gives Clark space. Yes Dallas has a junk defense, but even so with one exception (a catch and shoot off a nice screen) the 3s that Clark made yesterday were HARD. All her 3s are hard shots, basically. Nobody ever lets her just stand next to the 3 point line and release. She's always on the move and usually a few feet back from the line, at that.

[MrDollarBills]

One thing that I have learned this WNBA season is that Caitlin Clark is the nastiest PG in the league. As female PGs go, she is big ... the equivalent of a 6' 5" NBA guard. And she uses that size, constantly. She pushes off, bodies up opposing PGs when driving to the hoop, leans and bangs into defenders seeking foul calls, and makes no attempt to shy away from bigs on layups. In fact, I'm pretty sure she's seeking the flagrant calls. She also looks for calls when players are face guarding her, by initiating contact and then recoiling, Jimmy Butler style.

She is doing more of this now than in earlier in the season, presumably due to gaining confidence. Yesterday's game against Dallas was a bangfest. I can't get an actual count because the WNBA play by play doesn't tell which players were fouled, but my memory is that he was fouled at least 5 times in non-shooting situations.

People compare her to Steph because they are both 3 point shooters and creative, if sometimes wild, passers. But Steph is pure finesse. He's a little guy. Whereas Caitlin acts a lot more like Luka out there (including the ongoing complaints to the officials). If I were guarding her, I would want to smack her.

Ionescu has more similarity to Curry than Clark.

Clark and Harden/Doncic on the other hand could compare notes heavily.

[MrDollarBills]

My take is that the good defenses slow down CC's assists and drives, and they force more turnovers. But I don't believe there is a real difference in how they guard 3s. Nobody gives Clark space. Yes Dallas has a junk defense, but even so with one exception (a catch and shoot off a nice screen) the 3s that Clark made yesterday were HARD. All her 3s are hard shots, basically. Nobody ever lets her just stand next to the 3 point line and release. She's always on the move and usually a few feet back from the line, at that.

If you're a defender and you force her into a step back three that she sinks, tip your cap and move onto the next play. There's nothing you can do about it.

[MrDollarBills]

Caitlin Clark Numbers against quality of defense

Vs TOP 5 Defenses (19 G)

16.7 PPG 4.6 RPG 6.9 APG 5.6 TOPG on 38.2/29.4/95.2 splits for 53.0 TS%

Spoiler:

104 FGM 5.5 FGM/G 272 FGA 38.2 FG%
48 3PM 163 3PA 8.6 3PA/G 29.4 3P%
56 2PM 109 2PA 5.5 2PA/G 51.4 2P%
60 FTM 63 FTA 3.3 FTA/G 95.2 FT%

VS BOTTOM 6 Defenses (20 G)

22.2 PPG 6.4 RPG 9.8 APG 5.7 TOPG on 46.1/37.0/89.2 splits for 64.2 TS%

Spoiler:

136 FGM - 6.8 FGM 295 FGA 14.8 FGA/G 46.1 FG%
70 3PM 189 3PA 9.45 3PA/G 37.0 3P%
66 2PM 106 2PA 5.3 2PA/G 62.2 2P%
99 FTM 111 FTA 5.6 FTA/G 89.2 FT%

Worth noting 9 of her first 13 games were against top 5 defenses and 2 of those games against non top 5 defenses were against the sparks with a healthy cameron brink so I think the differences are more staggering than the vast gulf shown above but I think the playoffs will be a tough challenge

Thanks for putting this together.

I've been saying, whoever plays Indiana in Round 1 is going to make the series slow and ugly to Indiana's detriment.

It will be a good experience for their core, but I think fans will need to temper expectations. Things are gonna get rough

[zimpy27]

Caitlin Clark Numbers against quality of defense

Vs TOP 5 Defenses (19 G)

16.7 PPG 4.6 RPG 6.9 APG 5.6 TOPG on 38.2/29.4/95.2 splits for 53.0 TS%

Spoiler:

104 FGM 5.5 FGM/G 272 FGA 38.2 FG%
48 3PM 163 3PA 8.6 3PA/G 29.4 3P%
56 2PM 109 2PA 5.5 2PA/G 51.4 2P%
60 FTM 63 FTA 3.3 FTA/G 95.2 FT%

VS BOTTOM 6 Defenses (20 G)

22.2 PPG 6.4 RPG 9.8 APG 5.7 TOPG on 46.1/37.0/89.2 splits for 64.2 TS%

Spoiler:

136 FGM - 6.8 FGM 295 FGA 14.8 FGA/G 46.1 FG%
70 3PM 189 3PA 9.45 3PA/G 37.0 3P%
66 2PM 106 2PA 5.3 2PA/G 62.2 2P%
99 FTM 111 FTA 5.6 FTA/G 89.2 FT%

Worth noting 9 of her first 13 games were against top 5 defenses and 2 of those games against non top 5 defenses were against the sparks with a healthy cameron brink so I think the differences are more staggering than the vast gulf shown above but I think the playoffs will be a tough challenge

Thanks for putting this together.

I've been saying, whoever plays Indiana in Round 1 is going to make the series slow and ugly to Indiana's detriment.

It will be a good experience for their core, but I think fans will need to temper expectations. Things are gonna get rough

It's a bit difficult because CC improved in second half.

But over the season her TS% correlated strongest with opposing team defensive FT/FGA ratio. Teams that fouled more got her a much higher TS%. And second best was O-rating of opponent (negative correlation) where CC had a higher TS% if opponent had a lower O-rating. D-rating of opponent was the 12th best correlate out 17 factors I looked at, so actually opponent defensive rating wasn't a strong predictor of CC's TS%.

Opponent D-rating was the best predictor of CC's assists though, which makes sense. It's interesting though that CC TS% isn't impact as much as her teammates against stronger defenses.

Her TO's are completely uncorrelated to opponent data, meaning it's self generated.

[Ice Man]

It's a bit difficult because CC improved in second half.

But over the season her TS% correlated strongest with opposing team defensive FT/FGA ratio. Teams that fouled more got her a much higher TS%. And second best was O-rating of opponent (negative correlation) where CC had a higher TS% if opponent had a lower O-rating. D-rating of opponent was the 12th best correlate out 17 factors I looked at, so actually opponent defensive rating wasn't a strong predictor of CC's TS%.

Opponent D-rating was the best predictor of CC's assists though, which makes sense. It's interesting though that CC TS% isn't impact as much as her teammates against stronger defenses.

Her TO's are completely uncorrelated to opponent data, meaning it's self generated.

Ha! That's some serious work.

This is my take on your findings. Great defenses are partially about great personnel, but also about experience and teamwork. Great defenses take opposing teams out of their rhythm. That reduces Clark's assists and hurts her teammate's efficiency, because they now aren't getting as many easy looks. But it doesn't much affect her efficiency, because she mostly scores unassisted. And no matter who she plays, good defensive teams or not, she's taking difficult 3s. Even the crummy defenses don't give her open looks at the 3 point line.

The FTs makes sense too. The good defenses are closing down with effective help, whereas the weak defenses arrive too late, thus more fouling.

I would not have guessed that statistic on the TOs. I mean, we can all see that many of her TOs are self inflicted, but even so ... that is a surprise.

[zimpy27]

It's a bit difficult because CC improved in second half.

But over the season her TS% correlated strongest with opposing team defensive FT/FGA ratio. Teams that fouled more got her a much higher TS%. And second best was O-rating of opponent (negative correlation) where CC had a higher TS% if opponent had a lower O-rating. D-rating of opponent was the 12th best correlate out 17 factors I looked at, so actually opponent defensive rating wasn't a strong predictor of CC's TS%.

Opponent D-rating was the best predictor of CC's assists though, which makes sense. It's interesting though that CC TS% isn't impact as much as her teammates against stronger defenses.

Her TO's are completely uncorrelated to opponent data, meaning it's self generated.

Ha! That's some serious work.

This is my take on your findings. Great defenses are partially about great personnel, but also about experience and teamwork. Great defenses take opposing teams out of their rhythm. That reduces Clark's assists and hurts her teammate's efficiency, because they now aren't getting as many easy looks. But it doesn't much affect her efficiency, because she mostly scores unassisted. And no matter who she plays, good defensive teams or not, she's taking difficult 3s. Even the crummy defenses don't give her open looks at the 3 point line.

The FTs makes sense too. The good defenses are closing down with effective help, whereas the weak defenses arrive too late, thus more fouling.

I would not have guessed that statistic on the TOs. I mean, we can all see that many of her TOs are self inflicted, but even so ... that is a surprise.

Yeah I think your interpretation is correct. It makes sense from what we see.

Yeah the TO thing was surprising, though TOs are uncorrelated to defense, I think we just think they are related to defense. Gambling for steals more gets you more steals but makes team defense worse. A conservative team on steals could easily be the best defensive team in the league.

Interestingly there is no correlation between CC's assists per minute and TOs per minute across her 39 games played. So it's not like playing more risky generates more assists, in fact it was a negative (albeit non-significant) correlation.

So yeah, CC can make improvements next season just by cleaning up the TOs, they are unrelated to opponent defense and her own assist numbers in game.

[RSCD3_]

Caitlin Clark Numbers against quality of defense

Vs TOP 5 Defenses (19 G)

16.7 PPG 4.6 RPG 6.9 APG 5.6 TOPG on 38.2/29.4/95.2 splits for 53.0 TS%

Spoiler:

104 FGM 5.5 FGM/G 272 FGA 38.2 FG%
48 3PM 163 3PA 8.6 3PA/G 29.4 3P%
56 2PM 109 2PA 5.5 2PA/G 51.4 2P%
60 FTM 63 FTA 3.3 FTA/G 95.2 FT%

VS BOTTOM 6 Defenses (20 G)

22.2 PPG 6.4 RPG 9.8 APG 5.7 TOPG on 46.1/37.0/89.2 splits for 64.2 TS%

Spoiler:

136 FGM - 6.8 FGM 295 FGA 14.8 FGA/G 46.1 FG%
70 3PM 189 3PA 9.45 3PA/G 37.0 3P%
66 2PM 106 2PA 5.3 2PA/G 62.2 2P%
99 FTM 111 FTA 5.6 FTA/G 89.2 FT%

Worth noting 9 of her first 13 games were against top 5 defenses and 2 of those games against non top 5 defenses were against the sparks with a healthy cameron brink so I think the differences are more staggering than the vast gulf shown above but I think the playoffs will be a tough challenge

So with all the talk of Sabrina Vs Caitlin for the final 1st team all wnba, I wanted to run the same thing for Sabrina to see how she stacks up to Caitlin vs the better defenders and what her fall off is, if it exists, and to what extent, and I have the results.

Sabrina Ionescu Numbers

Vs TOP 5 Defenses 16 Games 18.1

18.1 PPG 4.0 RPG 5.9 APG 2.9 TOPG on 36.2/27.1/92.3 splits for 48.9 TS%

Spoiler:

97 FGM 6.1 FGM/G 268 FGA 16.8 FGA/G 36.2 FG%
36 3PM 133 3PA 8.3 3PA/G 27.1 3P%
61 2PM 135 2PA 5.5 2PA/G 45.2 2P%
60 FTM 65 FTA 3.3 FTA/G 92.3 FT%
48.9 TS% (-4.7 RelAVG)

VS BOTTOM 6 Defenses (19 games)

20.7 PPG 5.0 RPG 6.6 APG 2.9 TOPG on 43.0/37.9/86.8 splits for 56.7 TS%

Spoiler:

139 FGM - 7.3 FGM 323 FGA 17.0 FGA/G 43.0 FG%
69 3PM 182 3PA 9.6 3PA/G 37.9 3P%
70 2PM 141 2PA 7.4 2PA/G 49.6 2P%
46 FTM 53 FTA 2.8 FTA/G 86.8 FT%
56.7 TS% (+3.1 RelAVG)

[Ice Man]

Not quite as dramatic, but a similar pattern as with Clark. It's a lot easier to score, assist, and rebound against the scrubs. Meanwhile, the TOs didn't change.

On another note, Clark's production is higher than Sabrina's against both strong and weak defenses, so the argument for Sabrina can't be that Clark is better at bum slaying. It must be instead for Sabrina's safer ballhandling and better defense. (Which are legit arguments.)

[RSCD3_]

So I was doing some perusing and Caitlin is actually working on a nice streak of scoring

Tied for #4 all time for most 16+ pt games at 18 with Lauren Jackson, Diana Taurasi and Kelsey Plum. Only below A'Ja at #3 with 20, and then Angel McCoughtry who has the #2 and #1 spots with 21 and 23 respectively. A little arbitrary sure but I thought it neat. Here's a few other streaks I found

T-1st with most consecutive 15+ point games by a rookie with Seimone Augustus at 18
2nd place all time in consecutive 5+ assist games at 26, behind Vandersloot at 40.
1st place all time consecutive games with 5+ points, 5+ assists at 26, 2nd place is Vandersloot at 22, 3rd place is Alyssa Thomas at 18.
1st place all time consecutive games with 10+ points, 5+ assists at 25, 2nd place is Vandersloot at 15, 3rd place is Taurasi at 13
1st place all time consecutive games with 15+ points, 5+ assists at 18, 2nd place is Taurasi at 10, 3rd Sabrina/Young tied at 7
T-1st place all time consecutive games with 20+ points, 5+ assists at 5 with Arike Ogunbowale and Cappie Pondexter.
T-1st place all time consecutive games with 20+, 10+ assists at 3 with Courtney Vandersloot.

For 3 Point shooting

9th all time for games with at least one 3 point field goal made at 39, all time leader is Ivory Latta at 66*
6th all time for games with at least two 3 point field goals made at 15, all time leader is Rhyne Howard at 21**.
1st all time for games with at least three 3 point field goals made at 10, Diana Taurasi and Kelsey Plum 2nd at 9.
1st all time for games with at least four 3 point field goals made at 5 with Diana Taurasi and Ephiphanny Prince

*Sabrina is at 62 and counting and Kayla McBride is at 57 and counting.
** Kelsey Mitchell currently at 13 and counting

[Ice Man]

Thanks for putting together the work. However, I am confused. Those appear to be marks/records set within a single season, as opposed to career records. But then you have this -

9th all time for games with at least one 3 point field goal made at 39, all time leader is Ivory Latta at 66*

So, I don't know.