JuJu Watkins Isn't Being Under-Covered By The Media, We're Just Hungover From The More-Exciting Caitlin Clark

People are addicted to making comparisons; it's part of human nature and drives conversation. Brands, clothes, cars, restaurants, social status, you name it, us humans will compare it, and it's especially true in sports. We're constantly searching for the next best player we can compare to the previous best player, and we'll continue to do so forever, but at the current moment the media is looking to start a debate about JuJu Watkins and Caitlin Clark.

Nobody was asking for it, but with March Madness around the corner and Watkins putting up big-time numbers for the second straight season at USC, the mainstream media is doing its duty of stirring the pot.

After Watkins led USC to the Big Ten regular-season title with a win over UCLA over the weekend, the sophomore star made the prep sheet for Monday's edition of ESPN's ‘First Take.’

Stephen A. Smith asked why Watkins wasn't being shown more love in the media, especially with Caitlin Clark, who he called "a golden goose," now out of college and in the WNBA. 

"When are we going to talk about her the same way we’re talking about Caitlin Clark," Smith asked viewers.

Smith insisting that Watkins is under-covered by the media, a media he is a part of, while sitting on the set of his own show on the most-watched sports network in the United States is rich. Nevertheless, the point he was trying to stress is that Watkins isn't talked about or covered to a level of his liking.

For starters, Watkins is not under-covered by the media. She was put on the cover of Sports Illustrated as the 2020 SportsKid Of The Year and was the top-rated high school recruit of the 2023 class. In less than two seasons at USC, she's already signed NIL deals with Nike, Gatorade, AT&T, and others, and those opportunities do not just fall into a player's lap who isn't shown any love in the media. 

When considering the hype around her name during high school, the numbers she's putting up at USC, NIL opportunities, and the fact that the spotlight has never been brighter on women's hoops, you could argue Watkins is the most-covered women's college basketball player ever.

JuJu Watkins is a star in the making at USC. (Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)

Stephen A. threw the bait out there for the Watkins - Clark comparison, though. Since we as humans can't appreciate two great players and leave it at that, we have no choice but to play along with his game. 

The hard truth is that Watkins isn't nearly as exciting a player as Caitlin Clark is. 

Clark is unlike anything the women's game has ever seen before. Not only was she scoring nearly 32 points per game during her final season at Iowa, she was hitting logo threes, shooting over 45.5% from the field in the process, but also playing facilitator with nine assists per contest. 

We're talking about a player who had 67 double-doubles and 17 triple-doubles in 139 college games while becoming the NCAA Division I all-time leading scorer. 

Clark was the definition of different, both from a numbers and playing style perspective.

Caitlin Clark is in a league of her own when it comes to college athletes. (Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images)

It also can't be overlooked that Clark played for Iowa, a scrappy, Midwest program often depicted as a traditional underdog version of ‘America’s team.' USC has never checked those same boxes.

Caitlin Clark didn't take over women's college basketball during her final season at Iowa, she took over the entire sports world because of her style of play.

The only player you can use to compare Clark to is Steph Curry, because nobody in the women's game has ever played the way she plays. 

While Watkins is an undisputed great player, we've seen her style of play. She gets most of her work done around the rim, draws fouls, and gets after it on the defensive end. Watkins is averaging 25.9 points, seven rebounds and 3.5 assists per game and is well on her way to being an all-time college great.

Being an all-time great doesn't automatically make you an exciting player though.

While Watkins is the next-best college player since Clark took her talents to the WNBA, it's only natural for the world to compare the two, but it's borderline unfair to compare the sophomore at USC to arguably the greatest and most exciting female athlete in the history of college sports.

Watkins will receive plenty of attention during the NCAA Women's Tournament. It's not her fault the nation is hungover from the Caitlin Clark party.