Fever did something that hasn’t happened in 22 years! And no, we’re not even exaggerating. For a hot second, Indiana was playing its best basketball of the season. The vibes were absolutely sky-high after blowing out the Las Vegas Aces. But guess what made it even better? That game came right after a perfect road performance in the Commissioner’s Cup. Sure, it didn’t count for regular-season standings, but when you put both games together, the Caitlin Clark-less Fever pulled off a defensive flex that hadn’t been done since 2003 – holding back-to-back opponents under 60 points. That’s massive.

But just when the applause started rolling in, a different kind of chatter took over. Some people actually suggested that the Fever might be better without Clark. And the one leading that narrative was none other than ESPN analyst Carolyn Peck. “Look, I think that Indiana is even more dangerous when Caitlin Clark doesn’t play because she’s a ball-dominant guard,” Peck said on SportsCenter.

“The ball is in her hands a lot. So, you know what you need to try to take away. But when you look at Indiana now, they’ve got so many weapons…When you have a point guard like Kelsey Mitchell and Aari McDonald making plays on the perimeter and a post like Aliyah Boston, I’m going to tell you, Indiana, they are a threat, and especially on the defensive end,” she added.

Peck pointed out that Stephanie White has been really pleased with the defensive intensity the team’s bringing, highlighting their length, their switches, and how they’ve been wreaking havoc on opponents lately.

Now, we get it. Clark hasn’t had the smoothest ride so far. She’s missed nearly half the season battling through quad and groin injuries, and even when she’s suited up, her shots haven’t always landed. On top of that, her turnovers are a thing – she’s up to 5.9 per game this season. But that doesn’t take away the fact that she’s still one of the best playmakers in the league, a lights-out shooter (even if she’s in a slump right now), and easily the biggest draw the WNBA has. 

So while the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame coach’s take might sound bold, it didn’t sit right with a lot of fans, especially after what went down against the Sparks. For the second time in just 10 days, the Sparks stormed back in the fourth quarter at home and snatched a dramatic win from Indiana, 89-87. It was almost déjà vu. The Fever fought hard, but couldn’t seal the deal and it left a lot of people wondering: would things have been different if Clark had been out there?

Did the Fever miss Clark’s energy out there? Her pace, her presence, that spark she brings? Well, that alone might’ve just poked a big hole in the analyst’s hot take. As bold as Peck’s take was, the loss may have just proved the opposite. 

“Not more dangerous without Caitlin Clark!” Fans fire back at ESPN analyst’s hot take 

Fans didn’t let this one slide. The moment Indiana Fever dropped another tight game to the LA Sparks, social media turned into a full-on debate stage. The main point of contention was that now-viral comment from an ESPN analyst’s opinion. And it didn’t take long before the comments started rolling in, each one sharper than the last.

Media veteran Robin Lundberg kicked things off with a dose of sarcasm. “It turns out the Fever are not more dangerous without Caitlin Clark,” he wrote, pretty much tossing Peck’s whole take into the recycling bin. It opened the floodgates. One fan immediately jumped in saying, “That is not even a topic of debate, the Fever missed a healthy CC tonight.”  You could feel that. Even if you agreed with parts of the analyst’s reasoning, that fourth quarter against LA had Clark’s absence written all over it. 

And no, Peck didn’t explicitly say Indiana is a better squad without their rookie star, but her words definitely left the door wide open for this wild discussion.  There’s little doubt surrounding Clark’s ceiling. Despite her rough patch, she significantly raises the Fever’s ceiling. Sure, some argue she lowers the floor with her high usage rate, but when Clark is on, she gives this team a whole new dimension. It’s the fact that she can single-handedly ignite a scoring run or flip the momentum of a game. Okay…we can all agree her shooting stroke has gone ice cold lately, but maybe that’s what this injury break is for.

Another fan took it a step further, pointing out how playmaking is where Clark really shines. “In a tight game in the 4th Q and crunch time, the Fever turned the ball over, got terrible shots and got outscored,” one said, adding that Natasha Howard may have racked up points, but she’s not the player you lean on in clutch minutes. They said, and rightly so, that the Fever looked like they were playing with a point center, not a floor general.  That’s exactly where Clark’s absence really hurts.

Even while struggling, she dropped 19 points and 10 assists against the Aces. She also had 9 dimes against Golden State. People sometimes forget that while Clark is a great shooter, her playmaking is what makes her elite. Defenders chase her like hawks, opening up the floor for others. Aliyah Boston may be the ‘hub’ of this team, as Coach White once described, but in tight games, you need your point guard.

Then came the bluntest take of them all as one fan didn’t even try to hide their frustration and said, “Hate to say it, but I’m glad it happened because they were f—- tripping.” That reaction, as brutal as it was, echoed the Clark fans’ feeling that this whole “better without Caitlin” narrative had spiraled way too far.  But the whole thing also sparked another interesting thought.

Right now, Kelsey Mitchell is knocking down 37.1% from deep. Aliyah Boston is putting up 16.2 points and 8.1 boards a night. Aari McDonald and Natasha Howard are giving solid double-digit production. Sophie Cunningham’s adding that extra pop off the bench. And with Stephanie White calling the shots, they’re stacked with potential.  So the question becomes… if this team is already decent without Clark, what happens when she’s back at full strength? That’s the version fans are waiting on. And maybe this group will finally get that chemistry locked in before the stretch run.

Now, of course, not every fan was coming for blood. One tried to take a more balanced approach, writing, “I think they may have been tired after two very big wins against extraordinary teams.” That could be 100% valid. After the Dallas game, the Fever spent hours prepping for the Commissioner’s Cup showdown against the best team in the league and won it. Just 48 hours later, they were back on the floor against the Aces and somehow clawed out a gritty victory. So maybe, by the time Sparks came around, they were gassed. Teams are allowed to be human.

But let’s bring it back to the main point. Undoubtedly, Fever is missing CC. There’s no doubt that, along with providing a lot of scoring and floor spacing, she is also a clutch player and big-time shot-maker. The Fever is rarely more dangerous than when Clark is hot.  Even Coach White herself said it: “I don’t know that we’re where we’re going to be because Caitlin hasn’t been on the floor. And that’s obviously a huge piece for us and what we do.”

So all in all, the Fever can absolutely compete without her. They’ve got weapons, depth, and a coach who knows how to get the best out of her group. But if they’re going to chase a playoff run and actually contend, they’re going to need No. 22 leading the charge.