‘She’s [Not] Michael Jordan, She’s Jeremy Lin’ — Analyst Boldly Argues Caitlin Clark’s Run Is WNBA’s ‘Linsanity’

WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark’s season-opening performance against the Dallas Wings drew mixed reactions across the WNBA community. Some fans focused on the positives and gave Clark grace as she’s working her way back from significant injuries that sidelined her for eight months. Others were left unimpressed and argued that Clark hasn’t improved much from her rookie season.

Now, one analyst is calling out Clark while boldly comparing her to former NBA guard Jeremy Lin.

Analyst Argues Caitlin Clark Will Eventually Fade Away Like Jeremy Lin

On “The Craig Carton Show,” co-host Tyrone Johnson argued that Clark has already peaked and compared her run to “Linsanity,” the brief but impressive stretch with the Knicks that made Lin a household name.

“The Caitlin Clark thing is over because she’s not the best player in the WNBA,” Johnson said. “She’s not the best guard in the WNBA. She’s not even the best guard from her college class ’cause that’s Paige Bueckers.

“This could be a situation where we look back on Caitlin Clark and we’re not gonna look back on her like she’s Michael Jordan. She’s Jeremy Lin. This is just Linsanity. She’s gonna fumble this. When we look at Jeremy Lin and look at her, we’re gonna find out that at the end of the day, it was the exact same thing.”

CAITLIN CLARK HAS TURNED INTO THE JEREMY LIN OF THE WNBA!

“She’s not the best guard in the WNBA! She’s Jeremy Lin! She decided to roll up with Morgan Wallen! This girl had the world by the balls!” — Tyrone Johnson@TyJohnsonNews #WNBA #CaitlinClark #Fever pic.twitter.com/79NpTsvdxr

— The Craig Carton Show (@CraigCartonShow) May 12, 2026

Lin played in the league for a decade, but is generally known for his improbable 26-game run with the Knicks to close the 2011-12 NBA season. Considered a fringe NBA player at the time, Lin made the most of his increased playing time and erupted for some memorable performances, including a 38-point, 7-assist, 4-rebound against Kobe Bryant’s Los Angeles Lakers, a 28-point, 8-assist, 2-steal showing against the Utah Jazz, and a 28-point, 14-assist, 5-steal outing versus the Dallas Mavericks.

Over the nine-game height of Linsanity, he averaged 25.0 points, 9.2 assists, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.2 steals while shooting 50.9% from the field. Lin led the shorthanded Knicks to seven-straight wins and a 10-3 record in February after Linsanity started. Lin helped the Knicks earn the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference in the 2012 NBA Playoffs.

While Lin would remain a solid guard for a few more seasons, his fame and popularity peaked with the Knicks. Over the course of his 10-year NBA career, Lin averaged 11.6 points, 4.3 assists, 2.8 assists, and 1.1 steals across 480 games.

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While Clark remains one of the faces of the WNBA and women’s sports as a whole, Johnson believes she’s already reached the peak of her star power just like Lin because of holes in her game and some off-court mistakes. In addition to her game, Johnson criticized Clark’s “bi***ing and moaning to the refs” and her decision to walk out with polarizing country artist Morgan Wallen prior to his Indiana concert.

“She’s gonna fumble this…” Johnson argued. “This girl had the world by the balls; she had everybody loving her. People who hate women’s sports were tuning in just for her!”

While Clark has become the face of the WNBA and helped the league’s ratings and ticket-sales, four-time WNBA MVP and three-time champion A’ja Wilson is widely regarded as the best player in the league. Johnson also believes that Bueckers is better than Clark and will continue proving it.

Clark and Bueckers were in the same high school class and are considered rivals. Both guards won the WNBA Rookie of the Year award. Clark earned a spot on the All-WNBA First Team in 2024 while Bueckers made the All-WNBA Second-Team during her rookie season.

Since entering the WNBA, Clark has career averages of 18.6 points, 8.5 assists, 5.5 rebounds, 2.8 3s, 1.4 steals per game. Perhaps most concerning are Clark’s turnovers (5.4 per game) and inefficiency (as she has shot just 40.4% from the field, 32.7% from 3-point range, and 88.9% from the free-throw line).

Johnson’s comparison to Lin may be a bit much, but it’s safe to say that Clark is feeling the pressure in Year 3 with the Fever.