Caitlin Clark's season ended in the first round, yet her stock keeps climbing. This time the praise comes from the NBA side of the basketball world.
Six-time NBA All-Star Blake Griffin named Clark the WNBA player he would most want as a teammate. He did it during a quick-fire interview with FanDuel, and he answered without a pause.
The segment ran through WNBA superlatives. Griffin gave Olivia Miles the nod for best handles. He called Kelsey Mitchell the toughest matchup. Asked about the best trash talker, he offered Angel Reese before adding, " I don't know. "
Griffin was also asked for one word to describe Clark. He said, " Range. "
It fits the Stephen Curry comparisons that follow the Fever guard everywhere. Clark is far more than a shooter.
Griffin retired in 2024 and now hosts 'The Stepback with Blake Griffin' while working as a Prime Video NBA analyst.
He also spent years beside point guard Chris Paul during the Clippers' 'Lob City' run.
Kevin Durant has said Clark makes everyone around her better. He compared her gravity to Curry's, since defenses must react to her, and that opens space for teammates.
Isiah Thomas has praised her passing as an elite and overlooked weapon. He also defended her turnover numbers, suggesting teammates are still adjusting to the speed of her passes. Luka Doncic and Trae Young have also voiced admiration.
Those endorsements share a theme. Each one centers on how Clark changes the way defenses and teammates behave.
Griffin's WNBA ties run deeper than one video. Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase worked with him at the Clippers' G League affiliate. While Griffin recovered from injury, he trusted her to run his private on-court workouts.
She has said he once told her, " I don't really see that happening ," when she shared her goal of becoming a coach.
Griffin later changed his tune.
He said she " does so much work behind the scenes that people don't see " and deserves her opportunity.
Nakase now leads Golden State in the WNBA Finals.
Notice what Griffin did with his picks. Clark did not win best handles or toughest matchup . She won the teammate question, which asks who makes the group better. It appears that is the kind of respect her game commands.
The production backs the praise. Clark averaged a career-high 22.3 points, third in the WNBA, up from 19.2 as a rookie. That jump followed a Rookie of the Year debut and an injury-hit 2025 that limited her to 13 games.
She shot 44.5 percent from the field and 36.1 percent from three. Her three-point mark slipped to 33.3 percent in the postseason. Small dip. Big stage.
Clark also kept running the offense, averaging 8.3 assists per game. She earned All-WNBA First Team honors for the second time. She finished fourth in MVP voting, right behind her elite backcourt teammate Mitchell. That makes Griffin's matchup pick easy to understand. Clark also won the AP Comeback Player of the Year Award.
The Aces beat Indiana in the best-of-three first round, knocking the Fever out for the second straight year.
Griffin's answers also point back to Indiana's own backcourt. Mitchell, the player he called the toughest matchup, is a free agent. Sophie Cunningham is a free agent too. The Fever must also weigh a possible big contract extension for Clark. She plans to sharpen her passing efficiency and her defense this offseason.
The player he called the toughest matchup and the one he wants as a teammate both headline Indiana's offseason. Griffin has made his picks. Indiana now has to decide how much of that backcourt it can keep together.
