The Indiana Fever have managed to sail through a storm of off-court battles this season and remain on course for a deep playoff run, with their electrifying backcourt duo of Kelsey Mitchell and Caitlin Clark leading the charge. The pair now have the most 30-point games by a duo in WNBA history after combining for 67 points in the win over the Chicago Sky. But as both guards continue to shine, the Fever could now be facing an unexpected dilemma.

The MVP battle could very well be where that dilemma comes into play, with Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell now emerging as two serious contenders for the award. For much of the season, the Indiana Fever’s MVP conversation seemed to have one obvious answer in Clark. But with Mitchell joining the fray, former ESPN host Linda Cohn believes the race has become even more fascinating.

“And now we have a really fascinating MVP situation. Some voters may look at Mitchell’s scoring and say, ‘That’s my MVP. She’s a scorer,’” Cohn said in a video she posted on her YouTube channel on Monday. “Others are going to look at Caitlin Clark and understand that when Mitchell is an elite scorer, everything Indiana does runs through guess who? Caitlin Clark.”

And it would be hard to argue with her pick, especially considering how Caitlin has turned her season around in recent weeks. The first half of the season was far from smooth, with Clark shooting just 33.4% from three and getting regularly subbed out for late-game defensive possessions.

But things have changed since July, with Clark now averaging 22.1 points, 8.3 assists, and 3.8 rebounds per game. To further understand just how incredible her season has been, her performance against the Sky marked her sixth game this season with at least 25 points, 5 assists, and five 3-pointers, tying the WNBA record for most such games in a season, according to ESPN Insights.

That’s not to say Kelsey Mitchell isn’t deserving of the MVP either. In fact, her own teammate Aliyah Boston has already made her stance clear, saying Mitchell deserves the award.

“She’s really just the MVP,” Boston said in a video shared by reporter James Boyd on X. “I think that’s just what she’s been doing. Every single night you see her come out and she drops. I don’t even know how many points at this rate.”

The numbers make Boston’s endorsement easy to understand. Mitchell is averaging 24.8 points, 2.8 assists, and 1.7 rebounds per game while putting together a scoring run rarely seen in the WNBA. Her latest 30-point outing against the Sky extended her 20-point streak to 23 consecutive games.

What makes the run even more impressive is how efficiently Mitchell has been scoring. She is shooting 50.7% from the field, which would be the first time in her career she finishes a season above the 50% mark.

In fact, we could be talking about Mitchell as part of the 50/40/90 club if not for a few free-throw misses. Her 85.4% mark from the line has left her just short of that exclusive group. That’s not all!

Mitchell also leads the league in offensive win shares, so there is plenty working in her favor when it comes to the MVP race. However, there’s a good reason why Cohn has chosen Clark as her MVP candidate over Mitchell.

“Now Clark and Mitchell could end up splitting the MVP vote. And A’ja Wilson could end up running away with it anyway,” she further added. “But if you’re asking me, I stay true to my first pick. Who is most valuable to the Fever? No question. It’s Clark. Mitchell is the scorer. Yes, the offense goes through Caitlin, though. And everyone benefits from that.”

According to The Athletic, Caitlin Clark accounts for roughly 37% of the Fever’s points per game, compared with 31% for Mitchell. Clark also ranks second in the league in usage rate at 30.6%, trailing only A’ja Wilson at 32%.

This shows that while Mitchell is undoubtedly the better scorer, Clark’s value goes beyond scoring. She is the engine that runs the Fever’s offense, with the team relying heavily on her playmaking ability as well. Clark is averaging 8.3 assists per game, tied with Phoenix Mercury’s Alyssa Thomas for the most in the league, and that playmaking has helped Indiana build the best offense in the league.

This MVP debate will likely continue to rage on as the season reaches its final stretch. But if Indiana want to make a deep playoff run, they will need both stars to keep performing at this level and putting the team in the best possible position to make a serious run at the championship.

Clark and Mitchell Hold the Key to Indiana’s Success

On Sunday, both players were once again brilliant for the Fever in their 113-90 victory over the Chicago Sky. Clark finished the contest with 37 points, 10 assists, and three rebounds. Meanwhile, Mitchell delivered 30 points, two rebounds, and four assists.

The duo combined to score or assist on 98 of Indiana’s 113 points, showing just how much the Fever’s offense runs through them. It was also the third time in their careers that both Clark and Mitchell scored 30 points in the same game, the most such games by any duo in WNBA history, according to ESPN Insights.

The Fever are 25-14 on the season and have already secured their spot in the playoffs. With the second- and third-leading scorers in the league anchoring their backcourt, coach Stephanie White has plenty of reason to believe Indiana can make a deep run this season, especially after coming just one win away from reaching the championship game last year.

Of course, having another MVP-caliber player beside her could make Clark’s own path to the award more difficult. As Cohn suggested, the two could split the vote and leave the door open for A’ja Wilson or Olivia Miles. But if Clark has to choose between adding another individual award or bringing a championship back to Indiana, the choice should be an easy one.