Stats from Team USA's Olympic Games Prove Caitlin Clark Should Have Made The Team

Olympics: Basketball-Women Group C - BEL-USA — Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

While the American women’s basketball team is having no problem dispatching their opponents in the 2024 Olympic Games, guard play thus far has been atrocious.

Caitlin Clark, who consistently breaks records for handing out assists in the WNBA, would have been an obvious improvement over the team’s starters.

Through three games, guards Chelsea Gray and Diana Taurasi have contributed very little to the squad’s wins over Japan, Belgium, and Germany.

And when we say it’s bad, it’s really bad. These are your starting guards in the Olympic Games:

Taurasi – 2 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists.
Gray – 2 points, 3 rebounds, and 18 assists.

Obviously, Gray is contributing a little more with dishing out passes, but keep in mind, 13 of those 18 assists came in the opening game against Japan. She’s had 5 since. Clark gets five sometimes in a quarter.

Caitlin Clark Would Have Been An Upgrade At The Olympics

There was a lot of controversy over Caitlin Clark not making the team for the 2024 Paris Olympics to begin with. These numbers aren’t going to do a thing to quell fans of the WNBA rookie.

Taurasi’s selection seemed to be little more than a longevity or lifetime achievement award. She is competing in her sixth Olympics at age 42.

Team USA claimed they wanted experience on the squad and some veterans were worried that Clark’s fans wouldn’t be happy with her getting limited minutes.

I’ll take these numbers and results any day over a vanity project for Diana.

What are we talking about here, people? If Clark was given three minutes per game she’d have more than two points and two assists at this stage.

I’m sure the players complaining about her fans would be happy to see better production. Bear in mind, Taurasi and Gray are competing against teams this squad can easily run off the court. And they can’t find a way to chip in a few more points and assists?

Pretty Sure They’d Like A Do Over

After the Belgium game, Taurasi was on the receiving end of some heavy fan criticism after she posted an incredible stat line of 0 points, 0 rebounds, and 0 assists in 14 minutes of play.

“Fan of Taurasi but do not understand why she’s getting so much run considering she probably shouldn’t be on the roster,” one person wrote at the time.

South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley recently suggested if Team USA had to do it all over again, they’d be thinking a little harder about adding Caitlin Clark to the Olympic team.

“If we had to do it all over again, the way that she’s playing, she would be in really high consideration of making the team because she is playing head and shoulders above a lot of people,” Staley said.

She was playing head and shoulders above Taurasi for quite some time.

Not only is she a better guard, she’s a better draw. Keeping her off the roster, from an all-around perspective, was a terrible decision by the committee.

Next up for Team USA is Nigeria on Wednesday in the knockout bracket. The Americans are currently a 27-point favorite.