For Caitlin Clark, It's a Season of Bad Press. So Far

It's not surprising that Caitlin Clark has been a big topic of conversation in the young WNBA season. It's just that, so far, much of the talk has been negative. The narrative:

• Slow start: In her third season, the Indiana Fever star is struggling offensively compared to her usual standards, hitting only 39% of her shots and 33% of her 3-pointers, notes the AP. Clark missed much of last season with injuries, and she's been a nursing a sore back this year, too.
• High-profile critique: But Clark has been taking a lot of flak unrelated to her stats. Columnist Nancy Armour of USA Today wrote a highly trafficked criticism of Clark last week. "It's the petulance that is turning people off," she wrote. "There's at least one instance every game that Clark acts as if she's been shot after pushing off someone else or she drops to the court without ever being touched."
• Bench incident: Then came a viral moment in a game Saturday when Clark had a tense moment on the bench with coach Stephanie White. And it brought out the critics out in droves.
• Criticism: "I've been in Caitlin Clark's corner. But enough is enough, now," said Shannon Sharpe, per the industry site Awful Announcing. "I'm tired of her behavior. I'm tired of the shoving, I'm tired of the elitism, I'm tired of the entitlement." Former playing great Cheryl Miller similarly weighed in: "It's one thing to have it behind closed doors, but [it's another thing] when it spills over, and when the coach has to basically say 'you know what Caitlin, enough is enough, this is too disruptive, in and out, take a seat.'"

• Not so fast: Both Clark and White have downplayed the incident. "Two people being competitive," said Clark. "There's a lot of people out there in the media or on TV that think they know a lot of things and they're just blatantly wrong." White said: "As far as we were concerned, the moment died right then. ... It's not the reality of what the relationship is like." Teammate Lexie Hull agreed, per the Indy Star. "Unfortunately, Caitlin's got a camera on her 24/7 and you see every little thing that happens."
• This, too, shall pass? In the Seattle Times, columnist Matt Calkins writes that Clark's popularity "is at risk" if her third year is a flop. But he's not worried. "My take? Clark is going to be fine. ... Her handle and passing ability is still among the best, if not the best in the WNBA. At this point, it's a matter of her rediscovering her long-distance touch—the skill that made her an A-lister—which seems more likely to happen than not."