The 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifying Tournament in San Juan has started exactly how everyone expected: with total American dominance. Team USA opened their campaign with two statement wins, dismantling Senegal 110-46 before spoiling the party for the host nation with a 91-48 rout of Puerto Rico. While the scoreboard reflects a massive talent gap, the real story in the paddock is the rotation strategy being deployed by head coach Kara Lawson.
Through the first two contests, the statistical leaders have been spread across a deep roster. Rhyne Howard currently leads the team in scoring at 13.0 points per game after her explosive 21-point performance against Senegal, while Angel Reese has been a monster on the glass, averaging a tournament-high 10.5 rebounds.
Paige Bueckers (12.5 PPG) and Reese have both looked sharp and in mid-season form, consistently earning starting nods as they push the pace early. Meanwhile, the most talked-about player in the gym, Caitlin Clark, has been eased into action from the bench as she continues her recovery from a right groin injury sustained last summer.
Caitlin Clark’s Bench Impact: High Efficiency and Elite Playmaking
Despite not being in the starting five, Clark has made it clear that the spotlight isn’t too big for her, it’s just her natural habitat. In just 19 minutes per game, she is already putting up solid numbers: 12.5 points (2nd on the team), a team-leading 7.0 assists, and 2.5 three-pointers per outing.
Her debut against Senegal was particularly loud, racking up a double-double with 17 points and 12 assists in a blur of transition buckets and logo threes that proved her health is no longer a question mark.
The strategy is clear: keep her minutes managed while letting her high-IQ playmaking stabilize the second unit. While veterans like Napheesa Collier, A’ja Wilson, and Breanna Stewart still hold the veteran leadership mantle for this cycle, Clark is undeniably being groomed as the face of the program for the next decade.
If she stays on this trajectory and avoids further setbacks, the plan is for her to be the undisputed engine of the squad by the 2028 LA Olympics. The conversation around Clark has already transcended just “making the team.” Because of her unprecedented cultural impact and her ability to draw eyeballs to the sport, there is growing speculation that she could be a candidate for the U.S. flag bearer in Los Angeles.
It’s a bold prediction, but her current stint with the national team is proving she can handle the “noise” and produce world-class stats simultaneously.