Caitlin Clark leads the WNBA with 8.5 assists per game, which is a mark that only Courtney Vandersloot has ever topped in the history of the league. Clark will have the record for most assists in a season by the end of the year. And when looking through all of her assists, it's clear that she's already the best passer in the league.
Here's what stands out about Clark after going through all of her passes: Her assists are well-earned. She's creating points for teammates that otherwise wouldn't be there. She draws the entirety of the defense's attention, creating openings for teammates. She also has a package of passes that are uncommon from other players in the league.
Here are the passes that make Clark special.
MORE: This Caitlin Clark play is already wrecking WNBA defenses
The four passes that make Caitlin Clark the WNBA's best passer
Nashing
Steve Nash is one of the best point guards in NBA history. He popularized the concept of "Nashing," which involves keeping a guard's dribble alive while driving underneath the basket. Nash led some of the best offenses in the league by patiently waiting until openings occurred, and that practice has become adopted by many of the great point guards in every league.
Clark has quickly become one of the best point guards at Nashing. She's dangerous when she gets the ball on the baseline, and her teammates have learned that those times are some of the best to cut for easy layups.
Clark can distract quite literally the entire defense when she Nashes. She is more than capable of spraying the ball out to anywhere on the floor when that happens.
Clark's patience and probing of the defense is what makes her a high-feel passer.
MORE: Caitlin Clark is having the second-best rookie season in WNBA history
Hook pass
Clark is an expert at fitting the ball into small windows. One way she does that is by changing the angle of her passes. She'll throw a ton of bounce passes that zip right past defenders, and she's very good at lobbing it up with a well-placed hook pass.
Clark has gotten plenty of comparisons to Stephen Curry due to her shooting, but they share that same love of the hook pass to get the ball over the arms of bigger defenders.
MORE: LeBron James praises Caitlin Clark, offers roster advice for Fever
Outlet passing
What makes Clark a truly spectacular passer is the pace at which she plays. She always pushes the ball up the floor, leading to easy scores in transition. She's had enough outlet passes to fill a three-minute-long highlight video.
Clark was a multi-sport athlete growing up, and you can see the skills translate in her passing. She has the arm of a quarterback, zipping it the entire length of the floor with ease and placing it perfectly in stride to her teammates.
Clark is a master of the diagonal pass as well, which is a pass thrown in transition from one side of the floor to another. It forces the entire defense to flip positions, which they often are not able to do
MORE: A look at all of the flagrant fouls committed against Caitlin Clark this season
Full sprint behind-the-back
All of the above passes are special, but if there is one signature Clark highlight pass, it's the behind-the-back dime in transition. It's led to some of her flashiest assists, and she loves to break it out.
If this play don't make you fired up then we don't know what will 🧨
— WNBA (@WNBA) July 18, 2024
Caitlin Clark gets her 10th dime of the game off this sweet behind the back pass to NaLyssa Smith
📺ESPN pic.twitter.com/zVl501pP24
The speed at which Clark plays makes it extremely difficult to guard her. Even off of made baskets, she constantly pushes it up the floor and finds teammates for hustle layups. Clark's motor doesn't get talked about enough, but it's her superpower that makes her rack up assists like no other player in the league.
Clark being this good at passing as a rookie paints an extremely bright future. She has a very good chance of being the best passer in league history if she can cut down her turnover issues. Her assist totals should also continue to rise as her teammates get more acclimated to her passing. Some of her best dimes haven't been converted into layups.
Clark's record-breaking assist total is well-earned, but it probably won't last long. She is going to continue to set new highs throughout her career. One day, she could join Sue Bird as the league's only player with over 3,000 career assists.
