Paige Bueckers denounces 'inhumane' pressure on Caitlin Clark amid Fever star's 3-point shooting slump

Clark is shooting just 29.5% from 3-point range this season

Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark set a high bar for herself with an outstanding rookie season in the WNBA, especially given her rise as a transcendent figure in college basketball. With her consistently elite performance and the countless eyes on her as one of the faces of the sport, the pressure to play up to that high standard is immense. Dallas Wings rookie Paige Bueckers, in fact, said the pressure is unjust and commended Clark for keeping a level head in such a bright spotlight.

Clark is in the midst of a 3-point slump, but she said during the rough patch that she doesn't feel defeated. That response to an uncharacteristic start to her second pro campaign left an impression on Bueckers, the No. 1 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft. Bueckers told reporters that she took some of Clark's advice in managing her own lofty expectations.

"She handles it with grace," Bueckers said at practice on Thursday. "The pressure that she's put on every single night to perform at the level that she does, it's inhumane, really, to expect people to be perfect and to not have off games or off nights. If she doesn't go 8-for-10 from 3, people are questioning things. It's unfair to have to deal with that."

Inside Caitlin Clark's slump from behind the arc -- and why it may not last

Jack Maloney

Clark has connected on just one of her last 23 3-point attempts over the last three games and her 29.5% clip from deep is the lowest of her career, extending back to her time at Iowa. She missed all six attempts in Tuesday's win over the Seattle Storm, marking the third 0-fer of the season. Her scoring, rebounding and assist averages are all approximately in line with the numbers she logged as a rookie, though.

"I'm sure she has a great team around her and great people to help her," said Bueckers, "and I know she's a great person at dealing with it and just tuning out the noise and just continuing to be there for herself and for her team. The expectations, it's tough when you listen to it, so I'm sure she has a great way of tuning it out."

Health could be partially to blame for Clark's shooting struggles. The guard missed Thursday's clash with the Los Angeles Sparks due to a groin injury, and she missed five games earlier in the season with a quad injury. It remains to be seen whether she will return to action Friday vs. Bueckers and the Wings. 

Despite the slump, Clark led all players in early WNBA All-Star voting with 515,993 votes, good for the most ever by a single player.

"Like she talked about, just being able to give yourself grace and know that you are not perfect and there's going to be ups and downs," said Bueckers. "There's going to be good games. There's going to be bad games. But as long as you keep it forward, keep pushing and keep learning and keep growing from game to game, that's all you can ask for."