The Indiana Fever’s latest stint in the ongoing preseason games is creating ripples across the WNBA. And rightly so! Whether it was their close 79–74 overtime win against the Washington Mystics or Caitlin Clark’s return to Cedar Rapids, the Fever is ruling the headlines ahead of the regular season, and how! But the most astonishing thing happened after Fever’s solid 108-44 win against the Brazil national team.

Head coach Stephanie White seemed highly unimpressed with the team’s performance. Appreciating Caitlin Clark’s last-minute attempts to seal the victory against Brazil, White openly critiqued her team’s offences. Calling out Fever’s offensive execution in both games, White said, “Offensively, just continuing to work our spacing and our pacing… sometimes we were on top of one another.” 

While White looks forward to a better showdown against Atlanta Dream, Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter, Callie Finn, has news for Clark and Co. Talking about Fever’s performance against the Mystics on the iHeart podcast, Finn remarked on the latter’s usage of rookies: “Some people kind of criticize Stephanie White’s usage of her starters in preseason and wanted to see the rookies get a little bit more burned. But that was a very exciting game. I think that we saw great flashes from Sonia Citron as well. The Mystics rookies were definitely holding it down.”

For quite some time, Fever has been a franchise that rode on rookie success. Remember Aliyah Boston as the No. 1 pick in 2023? Or Caitlin Clark as the No. 1 pick in 2024. Yeah, that. And as the draft for this year rolled around, Fever wasted no time in bringing in three rookies- Bree Hall, Makayla Timpson, and Yvonne Ejim. However, in the game against the Mystics, the Fever fans couldn’t help but be bothered by the question: Where was Bree ‘Breezy’ Hall?

The 20th overall pick was supposed to make her preseason debut, but even with the game going into overtime, she found herself on the bench without a minute on the hardwood. But Mystics, on the other hand? Yeah, their rookies cooked. Just take Sonia Citron, for instance. The third overall pick by the Washington Mystics in this year’s draft started and scored 15 points on 5 of 6 shooting, 4 rebounds and 1 steal, and 1 block in 22 minutes. To top that, she converted a pair of open 3-pointers, converted a couple of layups, ran the floor in transition, and obviously, she didn’t get pushed around by more experienced, more physical women on the court.

Further, Finn added, “Like the rookies are not gonna, we can’t even talk about evaluating our reserves if our starters are not where they need to be. So I think that, like this is what we watch for. And that’s a cool thing about being a WBNA fan or somebody that covers WNBA, you’re watching preseason games and you’re seeing stuff that you might normally see in the regular season.“

“Kiki Iriafen became like a huge subject after that game. But stuff like that is like, I guess, why the league is fun. And I think it’s funny to see a rookie be on the opposite end of the discussion, of like aggression to the WNBA, like the physicality of the game, and things like that. But part of that is why we watch- these women are so physical and like it’s serious. Like, you know, in this preseason, like the approaches were different.”

Another talking point of this matchup? The tensions flaring between Sophie Cunningham and Iriafen. As Cunningham went for a defensive rebound against her, the rookie tossed the veteran to the floor, triggering a fiery exchange. The result was the 28-year-old getting into the rookie’s face, which led to Lexie Hull stepping in and separating the two. Though the former USC Trojans player smirked after the exchange, she was hit with a F͏lagrant 1 foul. Beyond that, she scored 7 points, 5 rebounds, and 1 assist in 16 minutes of gameplay.

Finn then pointed out the different approaches with which Fever and Mystics had entered the game. Despite Clark’s absence owing to her impending leg injury, Fever managed to push the game to overtime before winning over the opponents. Comparing this year’s games to the NBA preseason, Finn recalled, “Preseason games in the NBA are like an opportunity to maybe get a glimpse of like the type of player that a team is getting. Like, no, that’s not what it’s like in the W. This is like we’re getting started, we’re ramping up. And I think that Mystics-Fever game was a great example.”

The nearly 17,000 in attendance over at Gainbrige Fieldhouse saw how Stephanie White’s team’s close call served as an eye-opener for the remainder of the season. But victory is still victory, and so far, their preseason has set the right precedent.

Caitlin Clark single-handedly leads the Indiana Fever to preseason victory

Indiana Fever’s star player Caitlin Clark has dazzled on the court so far. And this year is no different. Fans were disappointed with her disappearance from the team’s first preseason game against the Mystics, and no wonder the team couldn’t work the magic against the Mystics. While Boston, Howard, and newbie Bonner leveled up to oust the opponents, they could only push till overtime as Mystics rookies stole the show. Needless to say, Clark’s absence was loud and visible. Or is it just the CC effect talking?

So when Caitlin appeared on the scene on Sunday, fans went into a frenzy. As she relived her days at the Carver-Hawkeye Arena, fans went on a nostalgic trip with her to her college days. And guess what? Clark took advantage of the full house and absolutely ate! She outshone her teammates and Brazil national team players before scoring 16 points, six rebounds, and five assists in just 19 minutes. All this for none other than the 14,998 spectators cheering from her university courtside.

Though this groundbreaking performance by Clark was clearly impossible without the support of her scoring teammates and companions, Clark’s magic still rules in the air. And even Fever HC has not been spared. Referring to her as Stephen Curry after the fantastic preseason performance, Stephanie White said, “I mean, nobody tells Steph Curry not to take good shots, right? When you’ve put in the work and you know your range, that’s part of what makes her special. It’s not just the distance, it’s the timing, the feel, and the confidence. You don’t coach that out of a player like her.” 

Needless to say, Clark has shown remarkable growth and never fails to surprise with her career only going upwards. And after Sunday’s spectacular win, one thing is clear. This Caitlin Clark effect is here to stay.