Minnesota Lynx star guard Olivia Miles spoke about the tall task of defending against Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark during her appearance on “The Old Man and The Three” podcast on Friday.
“Obviously, Caitlin with the shooting, and her playmaking ability. She’s so good with her right hand, attacking downhill and creating for others. And obviously, in transition, she’s deadly. So it is annoying to play against, right?” Miles said.
“Like, you’ve got to guard her, and you’ve got to make sure that you have bodies on her at all times, and making it hard,” she added.
Miles said shortly that she believes Clark’s Fever teammate, Kelsey Mitchell, is the toughest player in the league to guard because of how efficient a shooter she is.
Olivia Miles’ Take on Guarding Caitlin Clark Speaks Volumes
Miles and Clark were compared to each other numerous times throughout the 2026 season, and for good reason.
Miles asserted herself as one of the WNBA’s best guards in her rookie campaign, which is the same thing Clark accomplished during her rookie 2024 season with the Fever. Plus, Miles was chasing many of Clark’s records, including surpassing her for the most points a rookie has ever scored in a single season.
This is why it’s cool to hear Miles talking about the dilemma opposing WNBA teams face when dealing with Clark: that they have to account for her creating for teammates and being a “deadly” scorer in her own right, which presents a “pick your poison” problem that is a huge reason why Indiana led the league in points per game during the 2026 regular season.
Not to mention that teams face a very similar dilemma with Miles, who is on par with Clark in terms of her playmaking and ability to create for her teammates. And she’s a lethal shooter as well, which factored into the Lynx having the best record at the end of the regular season.
Miles and Clark’s scoring abilities are part of a new wave of young WNBA guards that also includes Sonia Citron and Paige Bueckers. Regardless of which teams and players WNBA fans are loyal to, everyone is treated to quality basketball when these multidimensional guards take the court, especially when they face off against each other.
The one downside of the women’s basketball fans have to wait a while before getting to see Miles and Clark match up again, given that the 2027 season is a long ways away.
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