“You’re going to see like seven or eight in double figures nightly.” After a chaotic season opener 93-58 win against the Chicago Sky, the Indiana Fever HC, Stephanie White, gave the other WNBA teams an ultimatum of what’s to come. But in the very next game against a revamped Atlanta Dream, those words fizzled out a bit. However, the team, unlike last season, did show some improvement, especially when it comes to not giving up and also on not celebrating too early. Their showcase against the reigning champions was also just as strong, until it wasn’t. However, all these games featured one strong offensive mind that holds the fort for them– Caitlin Clark. But then came the dark clouds.

After the 90-88 Liberty loss, the Fever fans got hit with a news they didn’t want to fathom. Caitlin went down with a new left quad strain, unrelated to the preseason injury she faced. And now, the HC will need her team to play just like they did in the opener, especially for the next two weeks, until the reigning league ROTY returns. But for a team heavily dependent on their star point guard, it’s going to be difficult. Still, we’ve seen some splashes.

Unlike last season, where we saw the team offense rely on Caitlin’s shooting and playmaking for the entirety of 40 minutes, this edition is an improvement. Although Clark is still putting up big numbers on the minutes played section, she actually hit brakes in the two wins so far against the Sky and the Dreams, playing only 32 minutes in both. Let’s look at the times when her team showed up:

• Fever vs Atlanta: In their 81-76 win, where Clark was face guarded and double-teamed with a full-court press from the very first possession, she only dropped 11 points and 6 assists on 4 of 11 shooting from the field; 0 of 5 from beyond the arc. Still, the rest of the team showed up, with Natasha Howard scoring a game-high 26 points, Mitchell adding 17 points, and Lexie Hull putting 10 points off the bench. Overall, the team was 44.6% from the field. 
• Fever vs New York: In the very next game where Indiana lost 90-88 in the final three minutes of the game, Clark faced a similar defense– double (at times triple) team, face guard, full court press. She put up 18 points, 10 assists on 6 of 18 shooting. However, three other starters apart from her too contributed big time with double digit scoring on overall 44.9% shooting from the field. 

So, there have been games for this semi-freshly formed Indiana team where they showed flashes of not depending on Clark’s shooting. But this time, the No. 22 will be on the hardwood, possibly for the next two weeks. Already rolling off 2 losses in 4 games, the Fever needs to sound an alarm on urgency. And that means, Stephanie White needs to call a meeting as reporter Logan Murdock reveals his curiosity.

Murdock joined Seerat Sohi on The Ringer WNBA Show and provided his observations on the impact of Clark’s presence on the team, and the lack thereof. Stating his expectations, he said, “Her teams tend to have weird on-off splits; that are appropriate for a star worth caliber but, like, aren’t great parameters for how a team should look with a star. I think Steph Curry should goes through the same issue where when they’re off the floor, the team struggles to keep the fort held down to the same degree that they have when the stars are on the floor.

“And that’s appropriate, like I said, for star caliber but the reason why it’s not for Steph and Caitlin is because the offense is fully centered around their orbit and their ability to shoot basketball. So, that’s one thing that I’m excited to see from Fever. So, I am curious to see how they’re going to look without Caitlin. This provides big opportunity for Aliyah Boston, who is, this is the scenario where you have to show why you are the second star on the team, why you can carry the team. I’m curious to see how she does it.”

Interestingly, we have seen Aliyah Boston make good plays whether Clark is on the floor or not. In fact, she tried her hands at it in the Atlanta loss, adding 4 assists to her name. Moreover, in their preseason exhibition at the Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Iowa, against Brazil’s national team, the broadcast caller of the day Ryan Ruocco even mentioned how we might be in for a season of seeing Boston make plays from inside the paint as she contributed with 5 assists in the flush 108-44 win.

Last season in August matchup with the Connecticut Sun, we saw her throw career-high 8 assists for an 84-80 win. When it comes to her shooting, we have seen her show out already in the loss over New York where she put game-high 27 points on 12 of 19 shooting. No doubt, Logan wants to see her do that magic more often.

“I’m very excited to watch Caitlin Clark in the Bay Area, very excited for her return, but I’m mostly excited to see how Aliyah Boston really steps up to the play as a secondary star.”

Since the reigning league ROTY has been sidelined citing a left quadriceps strain, head coach Stephanie White would have to make roster adjustments and re-think strategies ahead of their upcoming games against Washington Mystics, Connecticut Sun, and Chicago Sky. While maintaining the team’s depth will be a crucial role for the players, Boston can use Clark’s absence to cement her interior presence as the team progresses further this season. Moreover, others too can bring some spotlight back on their skills.

Caitlin Clark’s impact and the rising Fever team

There’s no denying that Clark’s mere presence elevates the experience for not just her team but for the fans as well. The high basketball IQ mixed with the perfect blend of showmanship is Clark’s signature at this point. Her on-court performance has already pushed the Fever to sixth standing in the league from seventh and a +9.2 average point differential. Still, it is not an overall great assessment for a team like Indiana Fever which boasts players like the third all-time scorer in the league- DeWanna Bonner, defense minded stars like Natasha Howard and Sydney Colson, and the entire star set from last season.

In 2024, they stood at net ratings of -3.4 (sixth in the league). This was despite a strong offensive rating of 106.1 (third best in the league), owing to their second worst defensive rating of 109.5. Still, the off season moves, especially bringing in the HC Stephanie White has been nothing short of future planning. And her aim is not just to improve what Caitlin can do, but also what the team can do when the point guard isn’t around.

We have already seen that while White is working on the team rotations, she is also doing a side experiment: Caitlin’s work off the ball. And then there’s development of the other team players. In focus, is Aliyah Boston. The former ROTY has proven her work with a dominating interior presence. With Clark sidelined, surely we will not see the one-on-one high-low passing moves the two have threatened the entire league with. But she can now create the same connection with others and also continue to create shots for herself. And she is not the only one.

Caitlin’s absence on the floor will mean a stage for the others. Natasha Howard has been great at offense when Caitlin, Kelsey Mitchell, or Boston failed to show up. Her defense too, is nothing short of exemplary, if we ignore the foul troubles, of course. Then there’s DeWanna Bonner. The veteran has not been able to bring her best offense so far for the Fever. However, this is the opportunity for her to show why White brought her to Indy from her former team at Connecticut. As for Lexie Hull, whether she comes off the bench or as a starter, the guard has been an offensive and defensive bomb for the Fever and will only continue to contribute with Clark off the floor.

It will certainly be interesting to see how Clark’s absence pushes the rest of the team as they now go against the Washington Mystics in the Capital.