Ever since the Indiana Fever drafted Caitlin Clark, they have built their entire team around the star guard. But do they really need Clark to win a championship? Yes, she brings too much cash to Indiana through houseful games, merchandizing, advertisements, or her insane community reach. Her mere presence guarantees sell-out games for the Fever. But whether the Fever actually need CC for a championship has been a debate lately.

As of now, the Fever have two consecutive games, and that too without Clark. While one can not deny the Caitlin Clark effect in the league, the Fever have already started to win without their star guard. Earlier this season, HC Stephanie White made it clear that her team is already learning to play without [Caitlin]. And their recent win over teams like the Lynx, Aces, and Mercury proves that Indiana is not dependent on CC.

Now, with half of the season already over, national analyst Ros Gold-Onwude also joined the debate and believes that the other teams should better fear the Fever even if Clark does not play.

“Still being a team that’s very dangerous. I think anyone on the other side of them[Fever] is sleeping on them because there’s an injury to Caitlin Clark would be very foolish,” Gold-Onwude warned on WNBA on NBC. The Fever may be missing their sharpshooter, but Mitchell and Aliyah Boston are ensuring no void is felt on the offensive front. The 8-year league veteran is averaging over 20 points, while Boston is leading with an impressive 54.8% field goal average.

We have further seen Lexie Hull and Natasha Howard step up defensively, bringing the rating to 100.8. And to top it off, Aari McDonald, who came in as DeWanna Bonner’s replacement, just put up a stunning, career-high, 27-point piece against the Mercury. So, Sophie Cunningham rightly admitted, “if we have Caitlin, great, and we know how to play with her. If we don’t have Caitlin, great. We know how to play without her.” 

If that’s the team without their best player on court, you could only imagine their force with Clark fully healthy. So Ros Gold-Onwude did not hesitate to make a bold claim, something to keep the 96 players—who will enter the playoffs this season—on their toes. “You know they could be very spicy in the playoff run.” Natalie Esquire did not argue, though she does believe the team’s ceiling will be limited if Clark is not back. And the Fever’s ensuring it doesn’t get to that.

Currently sidelined for the 3rd time this season, the Fever guard’s return timeline remains uncertain. ESPN has estimated it to be around mid-July, but Stephanie White and the staff are ensuring Clark gets plenty of practice and gets into the rhythm before she suits up again. Because in the last two comebacks, her shooting percentages dropped drastically, and she hardly played 5 games in a stretch.

Moreover, soft tissue injuries are not easy to heal. They could pop right back up with one wrong step. So Clark’s return is going to take a while, but the Fever look right on track for the playoffs, placed 6th with a 15-12 record. But it isn’t just the Indiana roster adjusting to her absence.

Caitlin Clark’s absence fetches revenue for the league

When Caitlin Clark announced that she would be missing the All-Star weekend, there was a looming concern surrounding the footfall. Surprisingly, the All-Star games saw a successful response from fans and followers. A whopping 1.3 million spectators witnessed the Skills and the 3-point challenge, while nearly 2.2 million people tuned in for the All-Star game.

But it did not end here. As the Indiana Fever locked horns with the Chicago Sky without their star athlete, ESPN had an interesting report to share. The official ESPN PR account took to X to announce, “This past Sunday, ABC aired another of its most-watched WNBA games EVER with the Indiana Fever’s win over the Chicago Sky. 1.5M avg. viewers (1.7M peak). WNBA on ESPN up 6% from last season.”

As the Indiana Fever has a domineering presence on the hardwood without the star player, the love and support have only gotten threefold. After all, her absence helped generate massive viewership and revenue for the league. Is this the lingering influence of the Caitlin Clark effect? Guess, we’ll have to wait it out.