Pressure on Caitlin Clark & Young N’ Turnt’s Builds After A’ja Wilson & Kelsey Plum Withdraw From World Cup

Caitlin Clark and her fellow USA Basketball teammates are already in Berlin, Germany, ready to fight to continue the country’s gold-medal legacy. Fans were hoping to see the Indiana Fever superstar throw passes to the likes of A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart, Kelsey Plum, and others.

The team was primarily made up of a group of veterans, and the ‘Young N’ Turnt’s,’ as Paige Bueckers nicknamed the fresh faces making their senior debuts.

The original roster leaned toward vet-heavy, since only five younger players were invited to play in Germany. The idea was that the team still needed their experienced heads to lead them, while slowly bringing in the next generation.

The group did have several of its members hitting form at just the right moment. However, Wilson and Plum, despite their scintillating form, have also been battling nagging injuries over the past few games.

Kelsey Plum and A’ja Wilson will no longer compete for Team USA at the upcoming FIBA Women’s World Cup due to health reasons, USA Basketball announced.

Alexa Philippou revealed on X

This means two of the USA Basketball women’s team’s most experienced players won’t play for the red, white, and blue. Their injuries will force a drastic change for the program that has seen A’ja Wilson and Kelsey Plum become core members of the squad over the last few years.

Breaking: Kelsey Plum and A’ja Wilson will no longer compete for Team USA at the upcoming FIBA Women's World Cup due to health reasons, USA Basketball announced. The Mystics' Kiki Iriafen and Sonia Citron have been named to the roster in their place.

— Alexa Philippou (@alexaphilippou) August 31, 2026

The two playing together on the Aces, along with Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young, were one of the major reasons the team was kept the same for the Paris Olympics. Now, the pressure will switch to Caitlin Clark and the Young N’ Turnts to ensure America’s dominance stays intact.

The onus shifts to Young N’ Turnt’s

A’ja Wilson and Kelsey Plum were USA Basketball mainstays for a long time. Losing them means that new head coach Kara Lawson will now have to shift her attention to a new starting five, or even the second unit led by Caitlin Clark.

Plum was not going to feature in the starting five, but neither of the starters from Paris has experience playing with Napheesa Collier at the four spot. That means Chelsea Gray, Jackie Young, Kahleah Copper, and Breanna Stewart have to learn quickly to adjust to their newest starter.

However, the pressure to perform will now land on Caitlin Clark and her band of young players. The team that is going to play in Berlin quickly went from veteran-heavy to leaning towards the next generation.

Along with Wilson and Plum’s news came that of Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen‘s inclusion. Again, Team USA Director Sue Bird has tried to bring in continuity among the younger players to help them find their feet.

That makes it three pairs of teammates, which means that chemistry building will not be as difficult as it will be with the starters. Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston are in sync, and so are Dream teammates Angel Reese and Rhyne Howard. Paige Bueckers played well with them at the regional qualifiers, which means the second unit is set.

Whenever Citron and Iriafen are called on to perform, they will not be out of place. Therefore, the players may not have a problem adjusting quickly, but they still have to perform to their best if they are to retain the gold medal.

Caitlin Clark and USA Basketball to start their campaign against China

Now that the team is set, Caitlin Clark and her teammates have three days before the World Cup opening-day games to acclimate.

Once they do, they will face a Chinese team to open their campaign that has played together for a very long time. They have three of the tallest players in the world and a zippy backcourt.

It will take a lot to defeat them easily, especially with next to no playing experience. Therefore, it will be up to Caitlin Clark to relive her qualifiers MVP form, and the rest of the Young N’ Turnts, with their chemistry, to make the most of their elite skill level.

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