At the break: Evaluating Clark, Fever as second half of WNBA season approaches

The Indiana Fever on Monday held a scavenger hunt.

A video posted to X (formerly Twitter) showed members of the team laughing together while scrambling around the building in search of clues.

An unusual pre-practice activity? Yes. But this is not a normal season for the Fever and the rest of the WNBA.

The Olympic break has given coaches and players a chance to relax and reset. For star point guard Caitlin Clark, the much-needed time off could not have come at a better time.

“It will be really good for myself and my body,” Clark said prior to the team’s final game before the break. “Obviously, I would love to be at the Olympics and that is something I can work for. But yeah, I think (rest) will be good. I feel like I have been non-stop go since probably like September of last year.”

A rested Clark could be scary.

After completing a historic college career, the University of Iowa product had little time to catch her breath before joining the professional ranks. And despite a difficult schedule to start the season (11 games in 20 days), Clark has seemingly found her groove and currently leads the league in assists at 8.2 per game.

The Fever (11-15) have followed suit after a 2-9 start and are just three wins away from surpassing last season’s total. In 2023, Indiana failed to make the playoffs with a 13-27 record.

So, what has been the difference?

Obviously, Clark (17.1 ppg) deserves a large chunk of the credit but players like Kelsey Mitchell (16.9 ppg), NaLyssa Smith (11.6 ppg, 7.7 rpg) and Aliyah Boston (14.2 ppg, 8.7 rpg) have played well, too, giving the Fever a formidable core to build around.

The foursome has combined to average 59.8 points this season. Indiana, as a team, is scoring 81.8 points per game.

Clark, Mitchell and Boston were selected to play in the 2024 WNBA All-Star game on July 20. The trio helped Team WNBA beat Team USA 117-109 in a game that was not as close as the final score indicated.

Team WNBA held a 20-point lead midway through the fourth quarter. Clark had 10 assists in the win while Mitchell scored 13 points, nine coming in the third quarter.

In addition to the talented core mentioned above, the Fever also appear to be a low-drama team. That is not always the case in professional sports. At first, there seemed to be a shock factor when Clark joined the group. A unique playing style, mixed with her elite court vision, took time to get used to.

So did the added media attention. Now, however, moods are much lighter during post-game press conferences, even after losses.

Fever second-year head coach Christie Sides also deserves praise. After testing some different lineups and rotations at the beginning of the season, she essentially has given Clark the keys to the offense. With Clark and Boston in the pick-n-roll and shooters on the outside, Indiana has become extremely difficult to defend.

In a 101-93 loss to Dallas on July 17, Indiana’s last contest before the break, Clark broke the WNBA record for assists in a game with 19. Boston was equally as dominant, scoring 28 points on 78% shooting from the field.

Clark’s 19 assists helped her break the Fever’s franchise record for assists in a season. An even crazier stat? Clark already has more assists than 75% of all players in WNBA history, per Stat Mamba.

And according to ESPN, Clark has scored or assisted on 915 of Indiana’s 2,126 points this season, which is a rookie single-season record.

Although Clark and the team can be proud of their play before the break, making the playoffs is not guaranteed. Indiana is currently seventh in the league standings and will need a strong finish to secure a spot (top eight teams make playoffs).

However, with some fresh legs, Clark and company appear to be in great shape to not only grab a spot but potentially win a series.

“Every single game matters. You don’t want to have to look back at the end of the year and be like, dang, we left some out there that we easily could have (had),” Clark said. “We put together like two quarters or three quarters … we are really struggling to put together four. So I think that is an area we can focus on going into the last 14 (games).

“I think it is our consistency overall but you can tell our chemistry is really coming along. Our goal is obviously to get back to the playoffs … haven’t been there since 2016. Right now we are in a position to do that. That is exciting and that is something to build off, but at the same time, we know we can be so much better. That is what we are looking forward to.”

Indiana returns to action on Aug. 16 at home against Phoenix. Another home contest is set for Aug. 18 against Seattle before a road game at Minnesota on Aug. 24.

The Fever will wrap up their regular season on Sept. 19 at Washington. The playoffs are scheduled to begin on Sept. 22. 

Notes: Regarding the WNBA Rookie of the Year race, Clark is the current betting favorite at -2000. The Chicago Sky's Angel Reese, who is averaging 13.5 points and a league-high 12.0 rebounds, is second at +700. … A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces leads the league in points per game at 27.2 and is heavily favored to win MVP honors (-3000). … The New York Liberty sit at the top of the league standings at 21-4. The Connecticut Sun (18-6) and Minnesota Lynx (17-8) are second and third, respectively.

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