California Post WNBA reporter Grant Young pushed back against ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith's claim that Indiana Fever's scoring leader, Kelsey Mitchell, should have the ball in the closing minutes rather than Caitlin Clark.

Smith made the claim following the Indiana Fever's 86-84 loss to the Las Vegas Aces in overtime on Thursday, August 6. Clark had come under fire for missing two crucial free throws in the final seconds of regulation.

"To be fair, Mitchell has been great this season and definitely deserves late game opportunities," Young said in a video he posted on X on Saturday, Aug. 8. "But the stats show Clark has actually been the better player in clutch situations."

In his August 8 X post, Young pointed out that in clutch moments, defined by a five-or-fewer-point differential between both teams in the remaining five minutes of regulation, Clark shot better (48.4%) than Mitchell (36.2%).

"[Clark] has slightly more points per game (3.7) than Mitchell (3.6), but the efficiency gap is substantial," Young added.

He further highlighted that Clark excelled even in 3-point shooting (38.9%) over Mitchell (23.1%).

In a further claim, the reporter claimed that Clark averaged three more assists than Mitchell in the clutch. He added that the Fever fared better (+1.3) with Clark than with Mitchell (-1.1).

"This isn't to say Kelsey Mitchell shouldn't have the ball in her hands late. It just means there's no statistical case to take the ball out of Caitlin's hands and give it to her. Ultimately, Indiana has two great late-game options," he added on his X post.

Both Clark and Mitchell's elite offense has been crucial for the Fever this season, leading their team to the top of the league on offense.

The Fever have the best offense, leading with 96.1 points per game, the highest by a large margin. They also have the best (115.3) offensive rating.

But Smith's claim wasn't just about the clutch situations. He had made a bolder claim.

Stephen A. Smith claims Kelsey Mitchell is the best player on the Fever over Caitlin Clark

Smith's claim about Kelsey Mitchell was not just limited to the clutch moment. The ESPN commentator boldly claimed that Mitchell was also the best player on the Fever roster over Clark.

"I'm a fan of Caitlin Clark, but the best player on the Indiana Fever is Kelsey Mitchell," he said in a First Take video shared by Sporting News on August 8. "It's time we acknowledge that perfectly. That's not disrespect to Caitlin Clark; she can play. … She's more efficient from the field, she's more efficient from 3-point range, she protects the ball better."

Mitchell leads the Fever with 24.1 points while shooting 50.4% from the field, including 43.9% from the 3-point line. She also averages 1.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.0 steals.

Meanwhile, Clark averages 21.5 points while shooting 44.1% from the field and 34.1% from the 3-point line. She also adds 3.9 rebounds, 8.0 assists and 0.9 steals.

Who do you think is the best player on the Fever? Let us know in the comments.

Written by

Nandjee Ranjan

Edited by

Arundhoti Palit