Most players would have spent the offseason simply trying to fully recover after the kind of 2025 season Caitlin Clark endured. But that is not Clark. Because the Indiana Fever star went straight to the same trainer who helped shape Stephen Curry into one of basketball’s most dangerous offensive weapons. Now, five games into the new season, Clark is finally opening up about what that partnership has actually brought to her game.

The early stage of the 2026 season has already been a roller coaster ride for Clark. But despite the ups and downs, the Fever star has still looked like one of the league’s most dangerous guards whenever she has stepped on the floor. So ahead of Indiana’s second matchup against the Golden State Valkyries, a reporter asked Clark about the impact Payne has had on her game so far. And the 24-year-old did not hold back.

“I knew he worked with Steph, and I love Steph’s game,” she said. “Just looking for some creative ways to make myself better and challenge myself, and I feel like he has found a lot of ways to do that over the course of the offseason of us working together.”

After battling multiple injuries, Clark explained she wanted her workouts to feel as close to real game situations as possible. And that is exactly what Payne focused on.

“I think really challenging my mind. It’s not like we’re just in there shooting shots. It’s as gamelike as we can make it, and I think that was something that I was really looking for,” she added. “Obviously, coming off an injury, it’s really difficult to get those type of reps and things like that. So that was really good for myself.”

“And then what he’s been able to do is Steph, like, that gives you a lot of confidence in things that he can maybe bring to me, and I’ve learned a lot. I’ve watched a lot of film with him and just really thankful for his time.”

But the most important part of their time together was that Coach Payne broke Caitlin Clark out of old habits and introduced her to a completely different approach to workouts.

“Gave me a different glimpse on a way to work out. You get in these patterns of doing things your own way for however long that is, and obviously, you have different coaches and different player development people. But to get as many different ways to work out and if it really works for you and you continue to do it, you kind of stick with it, and I’ve loved it so far,” Clark further said.

Clark’s desire to challenge herself differently came after she endured the toughest stretch of her career. Last season, what initially started as left quadriceps tightness during training camp eventually turned into a quad strain in May before she suffered a left groin injury in June.

Then, just four games after returning, Caitlin Clark went down once again against the Connecticut Sun in July and walked off the floor in tears while clutching her groin. Still, the setbacks did not stop there. While recovering from the groin injury, she suffered a bone bruise in her ankle as well.

Although Indiana initially hoped she could return before the end of the season, Clark eventually announced she would miss the remainder of the year.

So after spending months dealing with injuries and inconsistency, it is not difficult to understand why Clark wanted to take a completely different approach heading into 2026.

But what’s interesting is that Payne has been a big admirer of Clark’s game long before the two even started working together.

Back in 2024, Curry’s longtime trainer praised her mechanics while speaking with ESPN’s Paul Biancardi.

“Her compact shooting is up and out with a quick release. She has incredible distance,” he said at the time. “One reason is, she has tight, repeatable mechanics and shoots through her core and wrist. She lives in her work. It shows in her comfort and confidence level shooting the ball.”

While the admiration between Clark and Payne clearly goes both ways, the bigger question now is simple – how has the Fever star actually been performing after training with him?

Caitlin Clark’s Payne Effect

With Indiana’s latest matchup against the Golden State Valkyries ending just a few hours ago, Caitlin Clark has officially completed six games this season. And the early signs of her offseason work with Brandon Payne are becoming impossible to ignore.

She is already sitting at the top or near it in multiple major offensive categories, which are:

But that’s not it!

Her handle looks tighter, her decision-making against traps looks calmer. And even when defenses aggressively face-guard her the moment she crosses half-court, Caitlin Clark still keeps finding ways to collapse the defense and create easy looks for teammates like Aliyah Boston.

That type of balance between scoring pressure and playmaking creativity feels very reminiscent of the kind of offensive principles Payne has spent years building around Curry.

The shooting improvements are showing up, too. Earlier this month against Washington, she exploded for 32 points and buried seven threes in one of the most jaw-dropping performances of this season.

But the most important part is that she looks comfortable playing like herself again. The Fever star now looks faster, sharper, and far more in control offensively.

That does not happen overnight. And it didn’t. It took several one-on-one sessions of guidance from Brandon Payne, countless game-like reps, and a willingness from Caitlin Clark to completely step outside her comfort zone. So six games into 2026, it already looks like that decision is paying off in a big way.