Clark reveals how Luka Dončić’s deliberate command of space, pace, and physicality offers a blueprint for her own game control.
WNBA star Caitlin Clark shares intriguing insights on Sunday as a special contributor on NBC’s “Sunday Night Basketball."
The Indiana Fever guard offered a clear-eyed breakdown of the NBA player she studies most — and why his game has reshaped how she thinks about her own. Clark pointed immediately to Luka Dončić, citing the Los Angeles Lakers star’s command of space, pace, and physicality rather than raw athleticism.
The explanation came just minutes before Dončić took the floor at Madison Square Garden against the New York Knicks. Clark framed her comments around admiration, but also around process — how elite players dictate possessions without needing to outrun or overpower defenders.
“Luka’s amazing,” Clark said, opening her analysis on the NBC pregame show.
She expanded on what separates him from most scorers in the league.
“I think the way that he can not only score the ball, but also the way he passes,” Clark said. “He’s not the fastest, he’s not the most athletic, but he can get his defender to move where he wants him to go.”
Clark explained that Dončić’s strength lies in how he occupies space, keeping defenders pinned behind him or riding his hip until an advantage appears.
“He takes up that space,” she said. “And he does a really good job of either keeping the defender behind him or keeping him to the side.”
The point, she said, is control — something she is actively working to add to her own game.
“That’s something I can certainly learn from,” Clark said. “I always kind of want to run away from the defense, rather than absorbing the contact and taking up the space that they give me.”
The timing of Clark’s breakdown only sharpened the contrast. Dončić went on to post 30 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists in 36 minutes, filling the stat sheet even as the Lakers lost 112–100 to the Knicks. It was another example of how Dončić’s methodical approach produces results regardless of matchup or tempo.
Clark acknowledged that the simplicity Dončić projects can be misleading.
“He makes it look pretty easy,” she said. “But I can promise you, it’s not that easy.”
The respect between the two stars runs both ways. Dončić has publicly praised Clark multiple times over the past year, calling her his favorite women’s player and singling out her shooting ability as elite even by NBA standards. Clark, meanwhile, has repeatedly identified Dončić as the player she watches most closely when studying film.
Their games mirror each other statistically as well as stylistically. Dončić is averaging 33.6 points, 8.8 assists and 8.0 rebounds this season, serving as the Lakers’ primary creator through strength and timing. Clark averaged 16.5 points, 8.8 assists and 5.0 rebounds in 13 games during the 2025 season, earning her second All-Star selection while operating as one of the league’s most ball-dominant guards.
What Clark articulated Sunday was less comparison than blueprint. In an era dominated by speed and spacing, she pointed to patience, leverage and physical intelligence as the traits that endure.
On a night when she stepped onto an NBA broadcast for the first time, Clark didn’t just analyze the game in front of her. She showed how she plans to shape the next version of her own.