Kelsey Mitchell once called Caitlin Clark “one of the greatest people in the world… who, like, just ran the basketball world.” It was a perfect snapshot of the respect at the heart of the Indiana Fever. Right now, that respect and support are more important than ever in a season that has been ravaged by injuries. But despite everything, the Fever are relying on their veterans to hold the line. After a gutsy win over the Chicago Sky, it was Mitchell who stepped up again, putting the team’s fight—and their feelings about their missing superstar—into painfully clear perspective.

The final score was 92-70, a blowout by any measure, but the real story of the Fever’s resilience was captured in a single, hilarious boo from the bench. With the game well in hand, Coach Stephanie White called a timeout just as Damiris Dantas was setting up for a three. From the sidelines, an injured Caitlin Clark cupped her hands and playfully booed her coach as her teammates laughed. It was a lighthearted moment that showed a team finding joy in the little things amid the grind.

But when an interviewer brought up that lighthearted moment after the game, the mood shifted instantly. The laughter in Kelsey Mitchell’s voice vanished, replaced by something much heavier.

“Oh, we gotta… we gotta laugh to keep from crying,” she said, the raw emotion of the past week catching in her throat. She then laid bare the team’s struggle, paying tribute to her missing teammates while making it clear who she misses the most. “Losing Syd was big, losing Aari was big, and not having CC is even bigger. So those three not being here, we gotta take every joy that we can.”

That single line captured the brutal reality Indiana is facing. The team just lost guards Sydney Colson to a torn ACL and Aari McDonald to a broken foot for the rest of the season. Add to that the continued, indefinite absence of Clark as she recovers from a right groin strain—with Coach White offering only a terse, “No updates on Caitlin at this point”—and the team’s situation looks dire. They barely have any healthy point guards. It’s an injury crisis that would make most teams fold.

Faced with a roster in crisis, Mitchell simply put the team on her back. With the backcourt in shambles, she took over against the Sky, managing the offense and getting her teammates going early with sharp assists to Natasha Howard and Aliyah Boston. She controlled the game’s tempo, hitting clutch shots in the first quarter to build a 25-16 lead that the Fever would never give up. It was a clear, defiant statement: this team will fight no matter what. And that energy could have brought tears to any Fever fan’s eyes, especially considering the heartfelt pre-game gestures we witnessed.

Before the game began and during the national anthem, the Fever intentionally left three spots empty in their lineup to honor Clark, Colson, and McDonald. But the tributes didn’t stop there. Clark found her own way to salute Boston by wearing a shirt featuring Boston’s cover from WSLAM Magazine. The photo was taken during the 2025 All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis, and by sporting it, Clark quietly acknowledged her teammate’s hard work.

And while the Indiana Fever tries to weather this injury storm, Clark has found a new, and perhaps prophetic, role on the sidelines.

Caitlin Clark’s sideline leadership hints at a future in coaching

While injuries have kept her off the court, they have also revealed a new side of Caitlin Clark: the fiery, invested coach-in-waiting. Every play, she’s on her feet, living and dying with her teammates. You could see it in the explosive, pure joy on her face when Lexie Hull—stuck in a brutal 1-for-18 slump for five games—finally broke through and drained a three against the Sky. It’s the kind of leadership that has everyone, from fans to her own boyfriend, seeing a future in coaching.

Her boyfriend, Connor McCaffery, has already started calling her “Coach CC,” a nickname that suddenly felt very real when Clark herself confirmed it was on her mind during a recent appearance on Sue Bird’s “Bird’s Eye View” podcast. “Honestly, like, I might go back at one point in my life and coach college basketball,” she revealed.

But her conversation with Bird did more than just hint at a future career; it pulled back the curtain on the support system that fuels her now. She spoke warmly about former GM Lin Dunn, who still texts her constantly, and credited teammates like Aliyah Boston and Lexie Hull for making her feel at home. She painted a picture of a tight-knit circle. But in listing the people who helped her navigate her rookie season, one name was left unsaid that fans pointed out: former head coach Christie Sides.

The silence was deafening, seeming to confirm long-standing rumors of a strained relationship, particularly after Clark was left off the U.S. Olympic team. While Clark didn’t criticize her former coach, the omission highlighted just how crucial a positive culture is for her.

For now, her focus remains on getting healthy, but it’s clear that whether she’s playing or “coaching,” her leadership is already shaping the future of the franchise.