Caitlin Clark and Stephen Curry have long been compared to one another. Ever since she took the sports world by storm with her unreal deep 3-point shooting, fans can’t help but see the similarities between the two. And in her first-ever visit to San Francisco, ahead of the Indiana Fever’s highly anticipated matchup with the Golden State Valkyries, Clark shared what she learned from watching Curry since she’s been in the WNBA.
“I try to watch as many Warriors games as I can because I love the way [Curry] plays,” Clark said in her pregame press conference. “There’s so much I can learn from him. Something I remember from the first time I watched him in person is like how strong he is physically. He’s built, he really is. That also showed me going into Year 2 how much time I have to put it in the weight room to be able to play at this level of physicality.”
Clark pointed out something less talked about when it comes to the two-time MVP: his workout routine is legendary. The most notable example of Curry’s work ethic is how he fixed his ankle issues. Early in his career, he built up his core to reduce the burden on his injury-prone ankles and put on muscle ahead of the Golden State Warriors’ first Championship run. His strength and conditioning trainer Keke Lyles, has even stated Curry can deadlift 400 pounds.
Article Continues BelowFor Clark, she understands Curry’s underrated physical transformation is something every great basketball player has to go through. Maybe not something as drastic as Giannis Antetokounmpo but important nonetheless. But that’s not the only thing about Curry she took note of.
“Our coaching staff has done a good job of putting me in positions where I’m off the ball a bit more. You’ll see that with Steph too. He’ll sometimes bring the ball up, a lot of times he’ll be off the ball getting free things,” Clark said. “But also, Steph’s probably one of the best screeners in the entire NBA. He screens really, really well. That gets his teammates open, and that gets him open. Defenders kind of have to pick and choose. I think that’s an area where I can continue to grow.”
In her second year in the WNBA, Clark is averaging 21.3 points and 8.7 assists on 40.0% from distance. After missing five games to a quad strain, the Fever are sitting at 6-5. She’ll look to build on Indiana’s two-game winning streak as the Fever hope to contend for a title this season.
