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See the full story · 4 sourcesJul 31, 2026; Portland, Oregon, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) walks off the court after registering a triple double in a game against the Portland Fire at Moda Center. © Jaime Valdez-Imagn Images
Caitlin Clark is firing on all cylinders this WNBA season, and her MVP case keeps getting louder by the week.
But while much of the WNBA world is fully on board, longtime Clark critic Jason Whitlock is pumping the brakes, arguing that Clark’s on-court maturity still has some catching up to do before she deserves the game’s top individual honor.
Jason Whitlock Explains Why He’s Not Fully Sold on Caitlin Clark’s MVP Case
Clark has been nearly unstoppable during Indiana’s recent winning streak.
On Friday, she powered the Fever to a 112-98 victory over the Portland Fire with 26 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists. The performance marked the fourth triple-double of her career, tying Sabrina Ionescu for the third-most in WNBA history.
That performance came on the heels of an equally impressive outing Tuesday in Seattle, where Clark torched the Storm for 32 points on a scorching 9-of-14 shooting night, connecting on 4-of-7 from deep and a perfect 10-for-10 at the free-throw line as Indiana posted a 105-95 win.
Those numbers vaulted her past every player in WNBA history as the fastest to reach 500 points and 150 assists in a single season.
Rewind a bit further, and there’s an even bigger outlier on her résumé — a 45-point, 10-assist eruption against the Storm that stands as the first game of its kind in league history.
SEE ALSO: ‘Face Of the League’ – WNBA World Reacts As Caitlin Clark Rewrites History Books
If we zoom out to the full season, the picture gets no less impressive.
Through 25 games, Clark is averaging career-best marks of 21.6 points and 8.0 assists per game, leading a Fever team that’s rolling through the middle of its schedule.
Add it all up, and it’s easy to see why she’s being mentioned in the same breath as A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart in the MVP race.
However, not everyone is convinced she belongs there.
WNBA analyst Jason Whitlock, who has closely followed and critiqued Clark’s game since her rookie season, argued that the discussion shouldn’t ignore what he sees as weaknesses in her game .
“I hope Caitlin earns MVP and isn’t handed it for business purposes. She’s improved with shot selection this year. But she’s been an emotional train wreck and whiner. She walked off the court in the middle of a game and disappeared for 9 days.”
“The Cult ignores it because it will cost them YouTube views. Mick and Venom are the engine that drives a lot of the player backlash against Caitlin.”
He also noted that Clark’s supporters intentionally overlook her shortcomings:
“The Cult diminishes everything in sight to uplift Caitlin. You can objectively root for Caitlin without destroying EVERYONE. And you can criticize her immaturity and constant whining. It’s not betrayal. It’s concern that she’s going to blow this amazing opportunity.”
Whitlock’s comments also come after several high-profile incidents involving Clark this season. The Fever guard has picked up seven technical fouls, leaving her one technical foul away from an automatic one-game suspension under WNBA rules.
She has also been involved in multiple heated on-court exchanges, including a confrontation with Connecticut Sun guard Saniya Rivers on July 22, 2026, that resulted in technical fouls for both players.
There has also been a critical opinion piece from USA Today’s Nancy Armour accusing Clark of flopping and unnecessary emotional outbursts.
Those incidents appeared to factor into Whitlock’s assessment. He argued that her emotional reactions on the court remain a concern and shouldn’t be overlooked simply because she’s playing at an MVP level.
The comments are consistent with Whitlock’s stance on Clark . During her rookie season in 2024, he also argued that the Fever star needed to improve defensively and spend less time arguing with referees, while maintaining that Indiana already had a strong supporting cast around her.
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In any case, Whitlock is picking at a player in the middle of one of the most statistically impressive runs the league has seen.
Clark’s on-court production has been front and center, and she has helped the Fever pile up wins. That spotlight should keep her right at the front of the WNBA MVP conversation.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network .
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