Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers were set to headline one of the most anticipated matchups of the WNBA season on Friday. However, with Clark sidelined by a groin injury, the battle of No. 1 picks may have to wait. The Indiana Fever star has been ruled out for Thursday’s game and remains questionable for Friday’s clash against Bueckers and the Dallas Wings.

Fever head coach Stephanie White told reporters Clark is currently “day-to-day.” While Clark’s status remains uncertain, the game remains one of Ion’s biggest draws this season. Her last matchup on the network, a May 30 game against the Sun, pulled 851,000 viewers despite her absence. Bueckers’ WNBA debut also aired on Ion and drew 612,000 viewers.

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Player Stats Tell the Story

Clark and Bueckers are leading their respective teams with very different styles, but the production speaks for itself. Through 12 games, Bueckers is averaging 17.7 points, 5.8 assists, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.8 steals per game. She’s shooting 45.7% from the field and 30.8% from three.

Clark, meanwhile, is averaging 18.2 points, 8.9 assists, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.6 steals across nine games this season. Her shooting numbers have dipped compared to her rookie campaign, though. Clark is currently shooting just 39.0% from the field and 29.5% from deep. She also commits an average of 5.9 turnovers per game.

Health may be part of the issue. Clark missed five games earlier with a quad injury and is now nursing a groin injury. She’s also mired in a slump from beyond the arc.

Still, Clark’s impact is clear. She leads the league in assists per game and earned 515,993 All-Star votes, the most ever by a single WNBA player in the early voting round.

Bueckers, on the other hand, has found consistency despite facing elite defensive coverages. She’s posted three 20-point games in her last four appearances, including a 21-point outing in a win over the Connecticut Sun. Her ability to contribute without relying heavily on threes has stood out, and she’s committed just 2.4 turnovers per game.

Mutual Respect Between Stars

Bueckers, who has quickly emerged as a leader in Dallas, hasn’t shied away from crediting Clark’s ability to manage the enormous expectations that have followed her since college.

“She handles it with grace,” Bueckers said Thursday. “The pressure that she’s put on every single night to perform at the level that she does, it’s inhumane, really, to expect people to be perfect and to not have off games or off nights.”

“If she doesn’t go 8-for-10 from 3, people are questioning things,” she added. “It’s unfair to have to deal with that.”

Clark’s unshaken attitude amid her shooting slump has resonated with Bueckers.

“Like she talked about, just being able to give yourself grace and know that you are not perfect and there’s going to be ups and downs,” Bueckers said. “As long as you keep it forward, keep pushing and keep learning and keep growing from game to game, that’s all you can ask for.”

Their anticipated showdown may have to wait, but the mutual respect between these two No. 1 picks is already clear.