What do Indiana Fever fans crave most right now? Clarity. ESPN’s Alexa Philippou recently outlined Caitlin Clark and Co.’s playoff math, and for a moment, Indy’s faithful could finally exhale. In her own words, “To miss the postseason, Indiana would have to really drop off down the stretch and see teams like the Sparks and Mystics catch fire over the next three weeks – and neither group has looked particularly unstoppable.” She added that it won’t be easy and might go down to the wire, but the projection still has the Fever finding a way to eke into the playoffs… That’s music to Fever Nation’s ears!

Not long ago, through our exclusive WNBA newsletter, we asked if Indiana could survive without Caitlin Clark in the long term. Your verdict was slightly cautious: “Maybe, but not against top teams.” Now the question has inverted, and the irony speaks louder than we ever could.

She Got Game went back to the fans, and the Fever faithful have spoken. It is loud and unselfish.

Our latest newsletter poll asked: “Is shutting down Caitlin Clark the best option for Indiana Fever this season?” A commanding 66.50% said YES!

Fever Check: Why Caitlin Clark Might Be Better on Ice

These aren’t any casual Fever fans chiming in. The audience weighing in on Caitlin Clark’s future reads just like a panel of Ros Gold-Onwude’s audience, too. They all sound like analysts who aren’t afraid to think long-term… And they’ve got a point: Indiana’s recent cracks have all come at the same place, guard depth. Sydney Colson: Out, Aari McDonald: Out, Sophie Cunningham: Out.

“I don’t think the Fever really have enough depth at guard to support a Caitlin Clark comeback,” Gold-Onwude noted.

“Do you even have enough bodies to support that?” And she’s right. Kelsey Mitchell has stepped up, but she’s not a natural point guard. Lexie Hull is slumping, and Odyssey Sims and Shey Peddy are emergency hires on seven-day hardship deals, which makes them ineligible for postseason play. Moreover, the guard curse also got Sims, and she went down in the fourth against Minnesota. So here’s what Clark would be walking into should she return now-

• a thin backcourt.
• an offense that has been rewired in her absence.
• just 8 regular-season games left to shake off rust.

That’s a brutal ask in my honest opinion.

To add to it, the pressure comes with greater injury risk: “She shouldn’t risk a career-ending injury even though the team needs her,” one She Got Game reader wrote. The comment carried echoes of the cautionary tales of Yao Ming, Sam Bowie, and Brandon Roy. Another fan cut right to the chase: “This season cannot be saved so no risk further injuries.”

But is that true? Because Indiana still sits sixth in the standings, and history says the six-seed can shock the world. After all, the Chicago Sky turned that exact spot into a title run in 2021… So, whether Caitlin returns or not, the facts still stand firm – Indiana could still win the championship. As one fan pointed out: “If you’re a Fever fan though, you have to wonder how far they could go in the playoffs with Caitlin back, considering how well they have played overall in her absence. It’s always tough to start thinking: Wait until next year!”

It was a common sentiment, too. “The players need to know they are outstanding without her. She doesn’t have to be on the court to win. She should sit up in the arena. The team can do well without CC.” And the numbers of Clark’s on-court play back some of that statement up:

• Last regular season, Mitchell and Clark both averaged 19.2 points per game. This year, Mitchell has bumped that up to 20.4, leading Indiana, while Clark has dipped to 16.5.
• Caitlin Clark holds the WNBA record for most turnovers in a rookie season (223). This year, she’s still leading Indiana in giveaways, averaging 5.1 TO per game. The next closest Fever player, Natasha Howard, is at just 2.0. Clark alone accounts for nearly 35% of Indiana’s 14.3 turnovers per game.
• And the assist-to-turnover ratio? It’s the litmus test for elite point guards, and Clark doesn’t crack the league’s top 40. She is at 1.74. Compare that to Moriah Jefferson (4.50), Tyasha Harris, Kiana Williams, and Natasha Cloud, rounding out the top five.

So maybe the Fever really can hold the line without her. Meanwhile, fans believe she should just focus on herself: “She needs to take the time to take care of herself both physically and mentally!! She has accomplished A LOT… so now it’s time to slow down and concentrate on making her health a priority!!”

One Clark faithful is not buying the “mental break” theory, though.

Skip Bayless wondered aloud if some of Caitlin Clark’s pauses were about pressure more than pain. Sophie Cunningham didn’t hesitate: “Dude, that’s literally b——. No one’s lying… When you’re an elite-level player, you not being able to play is the hardest part… Shut up.”.

These days, fans are used to next-day updates when a star goes down for the season. Yet, a month in, they’ve still heard nothing definitive! But for us, Cunningham’s own cohost, West Wilson pressed and Sophie responded, “I don’t know why Everyone keeps asking. She doesn’t even know. It’s a day-by-day type of thing.” Here’s why people keep asking: it is because they had penciled in Clark as a favorite for multiple season-ending awards, MVP included. But now, those hopes are all but gone.

Gold-Onwude brought it full circle, too. “By the time you bring her [Clark] back, there’s barely enough time for her to truly catch a rhythm. The season has been honorable for the Fever, but it might be time to look to the future.” It’s only the truth that becomes sharper by the numbers. Before this injury, Clark only sank 7-for-49 from deep in her last seven games. The Fever star’s season record also includes a brutal 2-for-35 on the road. That is both subjectively and objectively bad.

So, the takeaway is that whether Caitlin Clark returns or not, this season’s morale might be about patience. But is everyone ready for it? Not really, and She Got Game’s here to provide you with the full picture.

Not Everyone Says Wait on Caitlin Clark’s Return

If 66.5% of our readers voted to wait until next season, that still leaves a sizable 33.5% eager to see Caitlin Clark back in 2025. Some fans tried to offer the tempered approach, a sort of middle ground: “If she’s able to play, let her play limited minutes, get ready for next season. Play other players.” Sounds reasonable if you consider that Caitlin Clark’s second groin injury came in the final minute of a Fever win over the Sun at TD Garden. However, once you flip the calendar back to August 2024, the approach seems to be a no-go. Her ankle scare versus Atlanta happened in the first quarter, less than 10 minutes in. The lesson is obvious that even with one step on the floor, risk is back on the table.

So, naturally, like in many sports conversations, the energy shifted from “solutions” to “scapegoats.” Under this category, the public enemy No. 1 has been head coach Stephanie White. One fan blamed, “She is being held back by a Head Coach that does not know how to coach her speed and accuracy. She performs fast and wants things done now and White is still coaching like they did 20 years ago.”

This comment takes us back to when we heard what Clark said on Sue Bird’s Bird’s Eye podcast. She revisited her 32-point comeback against New York: “I started the fourth quarter off with like… two turnovers in a row. And Steph yanked me and she was like, ‘This is like a learning moment… do we need that in this moment?’ Like no,” Caitlin Clark recalled. Later, when she had a chance to feed Kelsey Mitchell on a fast break, she hesitated: “I literally like go to grab the ball and then I like just dribble out… And like, you don’t understand how hard it was for me to not throw that.”

For fans, that hesitation was a sign the staff might be sanding down the very edges that make Clark special. And it wasn’t a one-off. After a quiet return from a previous injury, Stephanie White even shifted Caitlin Clark off the ball against the Golden State Valkyries. She defended it with: “I think it will be really good for us to get [Clark] off the ball a little more… I think it can give her a break.” The result turned out to be just a lifeless 80-61 home blowout.

It’s no wonder the “replace White” talk has been buzzing all season. Still, the head coach hasn’t blinked. Whenever they ask her about Caitlin Clark’s status, “All competitors want to play, but you have to do it the right way,” White firmly told reporters. And this year, that “right way” sure sounds a lot like: Yes, shutting down Caitlin Clark is the best option for the Indiana Fever this season. Do you agree with it? Let us know in the comments!