“Learning to play without [Caitlin], learning to make big plays in tough moments on both ends of the floor is important because that’s gonna pay dividends down the stretch of the season for us,” said Stephanie White back in July. The Indiana Fever head coach and the team’s players had to make adjustments once it was clear that their star player wouldn’t be returning to the lineup due to complications from her groin injury. Fortunately, not only did the Indiana Fever squad thrive without Caitlin Clark, but they beat all odds to reach the Semi-Finals.

In the absence of the 2024 Rookie of the Year, other stars like Kelsey Mitchell, Odyssey Sims, and Aliyah Boston got the chance to shine. Now, with the balance continuing to be maintained even without Clark, a question is raised about Clark’s star power going into the next season.

WNBA journalists Alicia Jay, Erica L. Ayala, and Ashley Nicole Moss recently hosted a segment of the ‘We Need To Talk’ show. During the conversation, Moss revealed being impressed with the fight the Fever squad put out without Clark. According to her, if the health of players permits it, then the Fever squad can transform into a team to be reckoned with in the coming years. Ayala, too, was in praise of the Fever, but questioned which roster rose over the other. After all, the team had to replace the 5 players they didn’t have for the playoffs due to injury issues.

“I mean, if they can figure out the right bunch, the right mix, and then again, you have a talent like Clark coming back,” said Ayala. Moss agreed and added that if “the right formula of the players they had to use to fill the gaps of the players who were injured, and figure out how to make both work in one unit, we might be looking at a Finals with the Fever in it next year.”

There lies the dilemma. The key decision of how to balance Caitlin Clark’s star power with the depth of a roster that showed it can fight on its own. Up until the 2025 pre-season, Caitlin Clark was the face of the Indiana Fever. The player is credited for bringing in a surge of viewership, an increase in ticket sales, etc, for the Fever squad. However, in her absence, there wasn’t too big a drop. Even in the 2025 season, the Fever franchise led the league in combined home and road attendance, reportedly bringing in nearly 700,000 fans in total. In comparison, other teams brought in 100,000 fewer fans.

According to a report about the Fever-Aces Game 1, around 1.4 million viewers tuned in on ABC to watch the matchup. This made the game, at that time, the most-watched semifinal on Disney networks. Furthermore, Indy Star’s Chloe Peterson reported that Game 2 of Fever-Dream averaged 1.5 million viewers on ESPN, making the matchup the second-most-watched first-round Game 2 in WNBA history. Game 1 reportedly brought in 951,000 viewers on ABC. Sure, this was a 47% dip from the 1.8 million viewers who watched the Fever-Sun game last season. However, it is still a significant number.

During a recent episode of ‘The Young Man and the Three’ podcast, Sophie Cunningham admitted that “this basketball stage that we’re playing on is above any other team right now. Our fans, no matter where we go, we’re going to the biggest arenas. We have more fans than they do. Like it is insane. But it has been so much fun.” She further added, “They’re still selling out our arena and, like, really, five of us aren’t even playing. They’re selling it out in other places. I know. Which is insane”.

The ratings and the attendance were maintained since, even without Clark, the team thrived on the court. Several reasons contributed to this, like the mid-season signing of Aari McDonald, and adding Chloe Bibby on a rest-of-season contract that bolstered the Fever’s depth when most needed. Additionally, with stars like Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston leading the charge, the offense was well taken care of.

The question of how to balance Caitlin Clark’s star power is certainly a tricky one. However, it isn’t something the player in question herself is concerned about. To her, her team’s success, despite the elimination, is the only thing one should focus on.

Caitlin Clark Sends Praise To Indiana Fever Squad After Elimination From Semi-Finals

Game 5 was a pivotal ‘do-or-die’ matchup for both the Indiana Fever and the Las Vegas Aces. A close matchup kept things interesting, but things took a turn for the worse after Kelsey Mitchell went down with lower-body cramping. Despite that, Stephaine White attempted to keep the morale up by getting her team in a huddle and saying, “Again, we’ve been in this position before, right? We’ve got to play for our teammate. We got to fight for out teammate. Tooth and nail. Ain’t nobody in a better position to do this than us. Ain’t nobody. But we got to stay locked in.”

It worked, and the Fever was able to take the game to overtime. However, the same didn’t last long, and the Aces won with a 107-98 score.

Despite how things went, Caitlin Clark was still proud of her squad. Soon after the game, she took to her official X account and wrote “So much to be proud of ❤️❤️ shoutout the fans for staying with us all year❤️❤️🙏🏻 @IndianaFever”. Clark wasn’t alone in this sentiment. Tyrese Haliburton, who plays for the Indiana Pacers, also sent his love by writing “S/o @IndianaFever!! Ton of injuries, bunch of midseason additions, resilient all year. Inspiring s–t”.

Even when she couldn’t play, Clark supported her teammates. She revealed her reasoning for doing so by stating that “Being there for my teammates, being a voice for them, because that’s what I am when I’m playing, so you gotta still be that consistent voice when you’re sitting on the bench. That’s been my focus, and I think that can kind of distract you from not actually playing when you just focus on your teammates and how I can serve them and help them.“

Caitlin Clark might have several changes in the roster awaiting her when she returns to play in the next season. How the Indiana Fever roster will transform is something that remains to be seen.