Caitlin Clark’s first appearance as a studio contributor on NBC’s NBA coverage was intended to mark another step in the expansion of her platform. Instead, it became a flashpoint for a much larger conversation—one about comparisons, status, and how to talk about a player whose value is not tied to a role but to an entire system.
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Clark joined NBC’s “Sunday Night Basketball” pregame show ahead of the New York Knicks–Los Angeles Lakers matchup, sitting alongside host Maria Taylor and analysts Reggie Miller and Carmelo Anthony. What followed quickly extended far beyond the broadcast, in part because it collided with years of existing context around how Clark’s game has already been discussed by NBA peers.
What Actually Happened On NBC
During the segment, Taylor asked the panel which NBA player Clark reminded them of. Miller answered first, pointing to Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard.
“I like Payton Pritchard from Boston. The way he’s able to handle the basketball. He makes big shots when the shot clock’s running down. A lot like this young lady right here,” Miller said. “He isn’t afraid of the big moment and is a champion like she is soon to be.”
Who is Caitlin Clark’s NBA comp?
Reggie Miller: “I like Payton Pritchard.”
Carmelo: “It would be Luka for me.”
(via @NBAonNBC) pic.twitter.com/4aRKQJexNg
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) February 2, 2026
Social clips and camera angles quickly magnified Clark’s reaction. Her initial smile faded into a more reserved, poker-faced look as she glanced downward — a moment that went viral and was widely interpreted as surprise. The visual, as much as the comparison itself, fueled the reaction and reframed how the comment was received.
Anthony followed immediately, reframing the discussion.
“Reggie went with Payton Pritchard,” Anthony said. “I see more Luka Dončić in her — the way she controls the game as a scorer and passer.”
The shift was immediate, and for many viewers, corrective.
Why The Pritchard Comparison Blew Up
Miller’s comparison was not dismissive in intent. Pritchard is a trusted rotation guard, the reigning NBA Sixth Man of the Year, and a key contributor on a loaded Celtics roster. Miller’s specific skill-based points — ball-handling, late-clock confidence, fearlessness — were reasonable.
The backlash centered on scale.
Clark, 24, is already a two-time WNBA All-Star, the 2024 assists champion, the 2024 Rookie of the Year, and a member of the All-Rookie Team and All-WNBA Team. When healthy, she functions as the engine of Indiana’s offense, not a complementary piece.
During the 2025 season, which has now concluded, Clark averaged 16.5 points, 8.8 assists, and 5.0 rebounds while drawing constant defensive attention. Across her career, she has produced 18.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 8.5 assists per game, numbers that reflect sustained high usage and organizational responsibility.
Paul Pierce says it’s a embarrassment that Reggie Miller compared Caitlin Clark to Payton Pritchard
“Like she had the look of like Bro, I was thinking more Steph Curry. Her skill set and her magnetic pull. They’re not doubling him everywhere face guarding denying him like they… pic.twitter.com/CVR34ND2Wy
— NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) February 2, 2026
Even during stretches where her shooting efficiency fluctuated — 36.7% from the field and 27.9% from three last season — defensive game plans remained centered on limiting her range, decision-making, and ability to control tempo. That role gap is the crux. Miller’s comparison was widely read not as a critique of Clark’s talent, but as an undersell of her influence.
Carmelo Anthony’s Framing Fit Clark’s Reality
Anthony’s Luka Dončić comparison resonated because it focused on control rather than archetype. Clark’s game, like that of Dončić, is built around dictating tempo, manipulating coverages, and shaping possessions as both a scorer and facilitator.
The timing mattered. In the same NBC appearance, Clark spoke openly about how much she studies Dončić’s ability to score and pass while playing at his own pace. Anthony’s comment aligned directly with Clark’s own reference point, grounding the comparison in how she herself conceptualizes the game.
Clark Draws Comparisons to Stephen Curry and Trae Young
Well before Sunday night’s broadcast, Clark’s game had already drawn public praise from NBA stars — comments that were not made in reaction to the NBC moment, but resurfaced because they remain relevant to how her impact is understood.
In 2024, Stephen Curry spoke about Clark’s shooting and its broader impact on defensive structure.
“No shot is a bad shot when you can shoot it as well as she can,” Curry told ESPN, describing Clark as fearless and emphasizing that once she crosses half court, she is already in range — a structural challenge defenses “can’t really game-plan for.”
Those remarks predate Clark’s NBC debut, but they continue to circulate because they frame her value in systemic terms rather than box-score production. Curry also noted that Clark’s shooting gravity often obscures how complete her floor game is, forcing defenses into constant pick-your-poison decisions.
Caitlin Clark says Luka Dončić is the player she watches the most to add to her game. pic.twitter.com/ZGqDbGrMdu
— Luka Updates (@LukaUpdates) February 2, 2026
Similarly, Trae Young has long been another NBA player commonly mentioned in Clark discussions. His own comments, made in July on the “From The Point” podcast, framed Clark less as a direct stylistic mirror and more as a generational inflection point.
“It’s just like every other sport. The evolution in everything is going to continue to get better,” Young said. “I mean, the players now are watching Caitlin and seeing what they’re doing and want to just add that to their game and maybe add a little bit of spice.”
Young later projected that Clark’s influence would echo far into the future, pointing to the way her style is already being absorbed by younger players. Importantly, those remarks were not tied to the NBC moment, but resurfaced as part of the broader conversation it reopened.
Luka’s Quote Clarifies How Peers See Her
Dončić has offered one of the cleanest snapshots of how Clark is viewed by elite peers. In a 2024 media availability, he described her in blunt terms.
“That’s the women’s Steph Curry,” Dončić said. “She can shoot it better than me.”
Dončić reinforced how Clark is viewed not as a novelty, but as a shooter whose confidence and range force fundamental adjustments from defenses. At her ceiling, Clark can resemble 8-time NBA All-Star Steve Nash. Other comparisons include Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard.
A Moment That Exposed A Bigger Gap
Clark’s NBC debut didn’t linger because of a single comparison. It stuck because it highlighted the widening gap between how players are often discussed and what Clark already represents.
She is not a role piece to be fit into an archetype. She is a primary engine — organizing offense, warping defenses, and moving the business needle at the same time.
That reality has only sharpened the focus on what comes next. After an injury-shortened stretch and recovery from a groin injury, many around the game are eagerly awaiting Clark’s return to the court with Team USA in March, a stage that figures to put her influence back in motion in real time.
The debate Sunday night didn’t define her. It underscored how much the sport is still catching up to her.
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