Veteran journalist Jason Whitlock hasn't dropped an opportunity to criticize Caitlin Clark in the past. He did it again, this time for her defensive abilities after the Indiana Fever lost 108-101 to the Atlanta Dream on June 18.

Whitlock took to X on June 19, a day after the Fever's loss, to speak about Clark's lack of leadership and defensive abilities. He compared her to Angel Reese, who he claimed has matured more in the same three seasons as Clark.

"The Indiana Fever just lost another game where they scored 100-plus points," Whitlock said. "They're a bad defensive team because they have no leadership on the defensive end, because their supposed leader, Caitlin Clark, doesn't care about defense, and their supposed leader has no emotional control."

Whitlock's criticism of Clark is reflected in her defensive rebound stats. Clark is averaging 4.1 per game and ranking 23rd in the league. She also averages just 0.8 steals and 0.7 blocks per game, ranking 71st and 34th, respectively.

She also has the most turnovers in the league, averaging 4.6 per game, which certainly makes her team more vulnerable on the defensive end.

Meanwhile, Reese has been better at defense, averaging 1.3 steals and 0.9 blocks, while also averaging 6.4 defensive rebounds per game.

Whitlock further elaborates on how Reese has grown as a more mature player. He even tweeted about Reese after the game.

"Angel Reese had a great game -- 21 and 11. But the best thing she did was not meltdown into a multiple, F-bomb tirade when she picked up her fourth foul and aggravate the officiating crew. Maturity."

While stats showcase Clark's defensive vulnerabilities, Whitlock suggests that another concerning issue has arisen this season for Clark, regarding her behavior towards the referees.

Caitlin Clark's fouls are causing on-court troubles

In one of the replies to a Caitlin Clark fan, Whitlock said that Clark lacks growth.

"I really really liked CC. But I can't unsee the immaturity, the constant meltdowns and profanity. The lack of emotional growth. The overreaction to every bad foul call. Officiating is inconsistent and bad across the league."

Whitlock's statement further points to the number of technical fouls that she has committed, tallying up to four. The analyst earlier highlighted Clark swinging her arm at the referee after a no-call against the Chicago Sky on June 11.

In the game against the Dream as well, Clark was benched in the fourth quarter with eight minutes, 41 seconds left. Caitlin risks a one-game ban if she gets eight technical fouls. She has already totaled her fine amount to $2,500 after these four technical fouls.

As the debate about her behavioral issues and lack of defense continues, she will again face the Dream on June 19. The Fever currently holds a 9-6 record going into this back-to-back game against the Dream.

Do you think Whitlock is correct about Caitlin Clark's defensive and behavioral issues? Let us know in the comments.

Written by

Dhruv Singh

Edited by

Surjo Ray