Paige Bueckers Wants Caitlin Clark Shielded From Criticism For Poor Play. That's Completely Ridiculous | John Simmons

Dallas Wings rookie Paige Bueckers believes that Caitln Clark should not be criticized when she performs poorly. But that’s not a reasonable expectation.

On Thursday, Bueckers discussed the flack Clark has gotten for having a stretch of bad shooting over the past three games. This led her to comment that the criticism she experiences when she plays poorly is completely unreasonable.

Read: Jemele Hill Calls Racism Against Caitlin Clark 'Competitiveness,' Claims Hatred Is All Made Up

"I would just say [Clark] handles it with grace, and the pressure that she’s put on every single night to perform at the level that she does — it’s inhumane, really," Bueckers said Thursday. "To expect people to be perfect and to not have off games or off nights. If she doesn’t go 8 for 10 from three, people are questioning things. It’s unfair to have to deal with that."

While it’s admirable that Bueckers is trying to defend Clark (something very few players in the WNBA do), saying that Clark should be shielded from critique is completely ridiculous.

Part of the problem with the WNBA is that the media that covers it consistently tries to protect the players from facing any level of criticism about their play. Those who do are framed as haters of women, sports, or sexist, and any sort of negative opinions about the league or its product are often forbidden.

Read: WNBA, Pros Like Brittney Griner Are Delusional To Expect Kid-Glove Media Treatment | Babcock-McGraw

However, that kind of dialogue is exactly what WNBA players should expect to experience. As long as critics are fairly picking apart their negative play, professionals have to deal with being called out for extended lackluster play. If Clark shoots 1-for-23 from deep in a three-game stretch (when three-point shooting is the best element of her game), that warrants criticism. Plus, it shows that people are watching the game enough to critique how players are performing.

Bueckers (left) thinks Clark (right) should not be criticized if she plays poorly. (Getty Images)

Of course, there are boundaries, and you can’t go overboard with how harshly you call out players. But Bueckers wants a safe bubble where no one, not even the game’s biggest star in Clark, receives criticism.

That’s unrealistic and immature to expect as a professional athlete.