The 2025 Indiana Fever is eerily close to achieving what the 2015 roster did: reach the grand finals under Stephanie White. The circumstances, however, have a differentiating factor. A decade ago, White had the legendary Tamika Catchings leading the charge. This time, she is navigating the postseason without her star guard, Caitlin Clark, alongside multiple other crucial injuries. Yet, the absence has not stopped White from drawing parallels between the two generational players.

In a conversation with WNBA insider Khristina Williams on the In Case You Missed It podcast, White was asked about similarities between Catchings and Clark. Her response was candid: “I think first and foremost, they are incredibly competitive, the most competitive players on the team, there’s no doubt. They refuse to lose. They want to win everything, whether it’s a drill, a half-court shot, the ball game, whatever it is. The willingness to do all the things it takes to do that.”

Clark is known to set clear, specific goals and believes that “Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.” She applies this by constantly seeking to improve and outwork her past performances, demonstrating that there are “no shortcuts to success, only hard work.” 

However, there was one more thing that White feels connected the two players. While the first one was their dedication on the court, the other is their preparation off the court. As White puts it, “The other thing is – there’s a work ethic and then there’s a work style. Like you can be in the gym for a very long time and get very little accomplished. Or you can be in the gym for a purposeful standpoint and get so much accomplished. And the way that they work, how they work, how purposeful they are in everything they do.”

This reason, according to the Fever head coach, is what makes them a generational talent in the WNBA. While White believes everyone practices, Caitlin Clark and Tamika Catchings give it their 110 percent off the court. “Not taking plays off, not taking possessions off, not taking workouts off, it matters, and that’s a separator. Every player in the WNBA is an elite talent and a great player, but what separates the best of the best is that work style as much as their work ethic. Their commitment to being the best at what they do and what they can be every single day, and that competitive fire [separates them].”

With this analogy of on-court and off-court performance, White claims Caitlin Clark is a generational talent in the making. And Clark’s records back her claims. In just her two seasons, her career averages are way better than other players in the league. She’s averaging 18.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 8.5 assists, with a 40-30-90 shooting performance. Over the years, these numbers can only go upwards if Clark protects herself from injuries.

Her second season was filled with multiple injuries to the calf and groin. Due to this, the Fever guard could only play thirteen games out of 44 before calling it quits for the season. Due to this, White finds herself down a star player as the team is making a championship run. But she still holds Clark in high regard, expecting her to take the team forward in the next season. However, many analysts believe White’s mismanagement was the reason fans did not see Clark that much in the 2025 season.

Was Stephanie White the reason Caitlin Clark was out for most of the 2025 season?

Although White is praising Clark, many fans once believed she was the reason Clark continues to get injured. Like how she came back so quickly after many WNBA analysts claimed the groin injuries take the longest to heal. The result? Clark injured her groin again and sat out the remainder of the season. But still, she was ramping up in practice, looking to come back to her team, which needed her.

However, on August 7, she bruised a bone in her left ankle during an individual workout in Phoenix. The Fever management waited several days before releasing that report, leading fans to take shots at Stephanie White. When the news came out, claims about her return timeline being unaffected were made. A couple of weeks after she suffered the ankle injury, head coach Stephanie White offered only coach-speak to describe her progress: “Until she can get into practice and until you guys see her in practice, it’s really status quo.”

With Indiana making a dream run to the semifinals, all fans seem to have moved on. But how long will Stephanie White escape the brunt of the fans, who are looking for a scapegoat for every moment? To give her flowers, White has done everything in her power to bring the team there. Rather than criticism, the Fever head coach deserves more opportunity to build a team around Caitlin Clark for the next season.

That rings even more true when we consider the other injuries the Fever have rolled to the postseason with. The Indiana Fever’s season was derailed by injuries Sydney Colson (torn ACL), Aari McDonald (foot), Chloe Bibby (knee), Sophie Cunningham, and Damiris Dantas (concussion) — leaving them without multiple starters and key rotation players for the stretch run. The fact that they can still make it to the Finals is remarkable, to say the least.