Team USA's Caitlin Clark Treatment Could ‘Expose' Them Vs. France

Team USA has undoubtedly found success in the FIBA Women's World Cup till now. They opened the tournament with a dominant victory over China before narrowly escaping Italy in its second game. They bounced back stronger in the game against Czechia on Monday. Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark came off the bench throughout the Group D contest, while the starters struggled to find their rhythm. Despite being 3-0, the Americans have shown some vulnerability under head coach Kara Lawson. On September 7th, WNBA analyst Robin Lundberg took to his social media and pointed out how impressive Team USA's bench depth is. He argued the bench could be better than the starters and that the program needs to figure out the best lineups. Team USA's bench is so much better than the starters. — Robin Lundberg (@robinlundberg) September 6, 2026 'Team USA needs to figure out the best lineups fast to stand a chance against France,' Lundberg shared. One fan added: 'Solid chance that the best lineup doesn't include Clark. Can you stomach that for the sake of the country?' 'You'll also note that vs Italy, although the whole team had a horrible shooting performance, another big issue was not giving Clark the ball when she was PG1. Italy guarded her well at times, but there were other times when she was wide open and her teammates forced bad passes.' 'They'll get exposed by France if they don't,' one fan added. Team USA's starting lineup features prominent WNBA stars Chelsea Gray, Jackie Young, Napheesa Collier, Kahleah Copper, and Breanna Stewart, some of the biggest names in the league. Meanwhile, Team USA's bench includes Paige Bueckers, Angel Reese, and, of course, Clark. Clark is the most notable name coming off the bench for Team USA. Yet, Clark has shown promise in all 3 games, notably recording a 14-point, 11-assist double-double against China on Friday. However, Clark's role coming off the bench could become a major storyline for Team USA, particularly against elite clubs like France. France currently ranks No.1 in the FIBA Women's World Cup power rankings. They picked up a dominant 111-56 win over Nigeria, showing they are a formidable opponent. New volume of #FIBAWWC Power Rankings is out. THOUGHTS? 💭 Read why ➡️ https://t.co/lvUrHNfcb9 pic.twitter.com/hag1uWZTvx — FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup (@FIBAWWC) September 8, 2026 Clark could easily be the difference-maker for Team USA as they continue their run and bid for the gold. Despite the benching Lawson has made it clear that Team USA needs to improve on all fronts. 'Let this be the last time that a team plays with more passion than us throughout the course of the game,' Lawson said in postgame interview after USA narrowly escaped Italy. 'Let this be the last time that all 12 don't show up to compete at a high level. And then let this be the last time that we lack a resilient mindset. We're so upset that we're covering the way we're normally scoring to me is what we've gotta grow and mature in moving forward.' Lawson added, 'Your contribution is not limited to how well you score the ball. Your contribution has to be your effort, your passion, your energy, your hardest-playing play with, all right? We gotta be the hardest playing team in this tournament. We will not win on our talent, even though our talent is awesome. But we'will not win on it.' Led by stars like Gabby Williams and Marine Johannes, France is viewed as the primary threat to end Team USA's historic dominance. It remains to be seen if Lawson lets Clark start the games ahead and that the Indiana Fever star proves the coach right.