Reggie Miller dishes on Fever rookie Caitlin Clark's shooting ability vs. Tyrese Haliburton
07/05/2024 04:15
Indiana basketball has been gifted with some of the best shooters in basketball history. This lineage continued as the Indiana Fever selected Caitlin Clark as the number one overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, joining the likes of Indiana Pacers guards Reggie Miller and Tyrese Haliburton among the top gunners in the city’s pro hoops squads.
Clark made her mark with Iowa, finishing as college basketball’s all-time leading scorer with 3,951 points. In four years with the Hawkeyes, Clark had norms of 28.4 points and 7.1 rebounds and 8.2 assists in 139 games, which she all started.
In her preseason debut with the Fever, Clark scored 21 points in a 79-76 loss to the Dallas Wings in front of a soldout crowd at the College Park Center in Arlington, Texas. Fever fans got a preview of Clark’s shooting, with the rookie knocking down 5-for-13 from beyond the arc, while also having three rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Reggie Miller picking Caitlin Clark over Tyrese Haliburton in 3-point shootout
Reggie Miller, who made his mark with his long-range sniping for the Pacers from the late 1980s to early 2000s, said in an episode of The Dan Patrick Show that he is picking Fever rookie Clark over Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton in a 3-point shooting contest. Miller picking Clark over Haliburton was close, citing the latter’s struggles in the playoffs, particularly in the first round against the Milwaukee Bucks.
“Right now, I would say this, Tyrese [Haliburton] has been struggling with his three-point shots, I've been doing my homework, so I might go with Caitlin [Clark], I might go with Caitlin right now,” Miller told Patrick, when asked on his choice between Haliburton and Clark.
But when Patrick added Miller and Indiana State legend Larry Bird in the mix, Miller was not shy in placing his name above all everyone else. “Come on, you know me better than that,” Miller said succinctly.
In the 2023-24 season, Tyrese Haliburton shot 36.4% from 3-point distance in 69 games and averaged 20.1 points. However, in the first round against the Milwaukee Bucks, his numbers dipped to 29.6% from three-point range and averaged 16.0 points.
Reggie Miller shot 39.5% from 3-point distance for 18.2 points per game in 1,389 career games across 18 seasons in a Hall of Fame career, all with the Pacers. Miller is definitely one of the faces on Indiana’s so-called “Mount Rushmore” of deadeye shooters, together with Indiana State legend Larry Bird. At their current trajectory, both Clark and Haliburton may soon join Miller and Bird in that distinct group.
Caitlin Clark and the Fever aim to bounce back as they make their preseason home debut against the Atlanta Dream on Thursday, May 9, at 7:00 p.m. ET.
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