Los Angeles Sparks v Indiana Fever – Source: Getty

Veteran analyst Jason Whitlock didn’t mince his words when reacting to rookie Caitlin Clark’s nine turnovers during the Indiana Fever’s thrilling 104-100 overtime win against the Atlanta Dream. Clark, who leads the league in turnovers, gave the ball away on too many occasions at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Sunday as she recorded 12 assists.

The former Iowa standout committed six turnovers in the first half alone, which contributed to the Fever trailing the Dream at halftime.

In a series of tweets on X (formerly Twitter), Whitlock was critical of Clark’s struggle to control her turnovers. He even drew comparisons between Clark and LeBron James and acknowledged the “unprecedented” defensive pressure she has faced as a rookie.

Despite this, Whitlock emphasized ways the 22-year-old could avoid being “sloppy” and reduce mistakes during games.

“For his career, LeBron averages 3.5 turnovers. His worst season is 4.2. The NBA is a 48-minute game,” wrote Whitlock. “The WNBA is a 40-minute game. Caitlin averages 5.6 turnovers. We’ve never seen a superstar basketball player turn the ball over at this rate. It’s unprecedented.”

“The defensive pressure and overall pressure on Clark are also unprecedented. So there’s that. She has to learn the energy, focus, and emotion she gives the refs are contributing to her sloppiness,” he added.

Jason Whitlock sheds light on possible reasons behind Clark’s turnovers

Caitlin Clark is among the best point guards in women’s basketball. The rookie leads the WNBA in assists with 8.5 assists per game but it has come at a price. She averages 5.7 turnovers per game, significantly more than any other player in the league.

Whitlock delved into the possible reasons behind Clark’s high rate of turnovers.

“She gets her pocket picked at least once a game (20 percent),” the veteran analyst continued. “She throws into traffic as often as 2019 James Winston (30 percent).”

“About 30 percent of her turnovers are from defensive pressure and blitzes. Another 15 percent are offensive fouls, traveling or lazy passes. Then you have 4 to 6 percent of her turnovers are a byproduct of teammates mishandling,” he added.

With the playoffs approaching, Whitlock stressed the importance of Clark minimizing her mistakes, warning that any top-level team would capitalize on them.

“She had 9 turnovers. That won’t work against high-level competition. Too many turnovers and too many logo threes that missed. Shot 4 of 13 from three. She has to play smarter. She can play smarter,” Whitlock said in another tweet.

Meanwhile, Clark had another huge game as she helped Indiana improve to a 19-17 record. The one-time WNBA All-Star recorded 26 points, 12 assists and five rebounds after playing the entire 45 minutes. She shot 7-of-17 from the floor, including 4-of-13 from beyond the arc.