Should Caitlin Clark have made U.S. Olympic basketball team? - ESPN

The U.S. Olympic women's basketball roster for the Paris Games is out, and Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark is not on it.

Clark is averaging 16.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 6.3 assists through 12 games — strong numbers for any WNBA point guard, let alone a rookie. But she has struggled with turnovers as Indiana's primary ball handler, leading the league with 5.6 per game.

And while her immense popularity and projection as a longtime star of the WNBA made her a strong candidate for the team, it was not enough when stacked up against a deep pool of talented, experienced guards.

The U.S. Olympic team is chosen by a six-member panel, and USA Basketball has not confirmed who is on the team. That announcement is expected to come in the next few days. ESPN confirmed Saturday that Clark isn't on the roster. The Athletic and The Associated Press have reported that these players have made the squad:

Guard Diana Taurasi, center Brittney Griner and guard/forward Kahleah Copper of the Phoenix Mercury; guards Chelsea Gray, Jackie Young and Kelsey Plum, and forward A'ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces; forward Breanna Stewart and guard Sabrina Ionescu of the New York Liberty; guard Jewell Loyd of the Seattle Storm; forward Napheesa Collier of the Minnesota Lynx; forward Alyssa Thomas of the Connecticut Sun.

Including a WNBA rookie on the Olympic squad is far from unprecedented: The United States did it with Taurasi in 2004, Candace Parker in 2008 and Stewart in 2016. And in the year before the WNBA launched, Rebecca Lobo was included on the 1996 Olympic team after graduating from UConn in 1995.

Is USA Basketball leaving some valuable things on the table by not finding a spot for Clark, despite having so many veteran guards? Is it for the