The WNBA preseason has never been this loud. Seriously, when did preseason games start feeling like mini-playoffs? And yeah, a huge chunk of that credit goes to Caitlin Clark and her Indiana Fever squad. One cannot imagine Clark not on the court. But here’s the thing—Clark or no Clark, the Fever might actually be just fine. Turns out, when the spotlight hits, this team doesn’t blink. And this tradition of rookies saying, “Cool, we’ll take it from here,” might be an annual one after all.

See, the Fever’s first preseason game was against the Washington Mystics at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Unsurprisingly, tickets were sold out—fans were eager to see Caitlin Clark back on the court after a seven-month break. But things took a turn the day before the game when the team listed Clark as questionable. Come game night, she showed up in a hoodie instead of her Fever jersey. Some disappointed fans even sold their tickets online, deciding the game wasn’t worth attending without the Caitlin Clark magic. But for a few analysts, this was the perfect opportunity, mainly for two reasons: A) to get a look at the new-look Indiana Fever, and B) to see how the team performed without Clark on the floor.

Yes, it’s been six years since Caitlin Clark missed a game. And no one has ever imagined a side without CC taking over the floor. So in a way, the new-look Fever made history before the season even started. As for how they performed without her? National analyst Rachel DeMita saw a silver lining, offering an optimistic take on what Clark’s absence revealed about the team’s potential.

“Sophie (Cunningham) might actually be the backup point guard for Caitlyn Clark.” Rachel put forward her observations. “Now if you guys watched the game yesterday, you know that Sophie went off. She had an incredible game. She had so much energy. She was all over the court.” One interesting point Rachel added was that even when Sydney Colson was on the court, essentially replacing Clark at the guard position, it was still Sophie calling the shots for the side, hinting that Sophie Cunningham will have a major role in the Fever team.

Now, Caitlin’s previous teams struggled without her on the floor. She had to clock as many minutes as possible on the court to ensure victory for her side, be it Iowa or the 2024 Indiana Fever team. Now, Sophie’s recent performance against another WNBA team Washington Mystics, assures some solid backup for Caitlin.

In the game, Cunningham finished the game with 21 points and eight rebounds, leading both sides in those categories. She also played for most minutes for the Fever team and provided two assists. The offense that fell dull without Clark? She was the spark that lit it to carry her team to a victory. So, DeMita was right when she claimed that it was Sophie who won the game for the Indiana Fever, as the former Mercury star, along with Lexie Hull, got important defensive stops and scored baskets as well.

“Without Sophie, they would not have won that game.” Rachel said, recalling the closing moments in the game. “She hit two clutch free throws at the end of the fourth quarter to send it into overtime. So, she did amazing. I was super impressed with her game. That’s my mom’s new favorite player.” Yes, Cunningham is already establishing her fan base in Indy, too.

This success also gave White a preview of what she was looking for, as she wanted to experiment with the lineup. With Clark ruled out, the lineup, while not entirely, was somewhat new. So, it opened the door for Sides to start mapping out new strategies and tapping into the depth of her roster.

And for Clark? The basketball gods definitely had a role to play.

Clark has never felt so lucky before

Indiana Fever pushed for the playoffs post-Olympics break last season, and during the first-round games against the Connecticut Suns, they were gassed out. So, in 2025, the Fever front office decided to invest in the experience, quality, and championship-caliber players. Backup, defense, and requisite experience–they snatched it all.

It will pay off, so it seems, as both White and Clark are fully confident. After all, rotation-wise, the Indiana Fever has plenty of players who can easily adapt to any role. “As far as the teams that I’ve coached in the W, it’s the deepest, most talented roster I’ve been a part of,” said White.

Pretty similar to Clark, who said, “How lucky are we to have such a good roster and so many people that wanted to be a part of something bigger than themselves”. Speaking about the balance, she further said, “Having that balance is gonna be rellay good for us….There’s so many different weapons on this team. There’s a lot of really great leadership, there’s poeple that have won championships, then we have our young core, our young players, a lot of people that are really, really hungry to win.”

The pre-season games have proved her right, and now the side will have its season up and running soon. Hopefully, they can maintain the momentum.