Two years into their existence, the Golden State Valkyries have already won a championship. For WNBA broadcaster Robin Lundberg, their success offers a fascinating lesson for Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever. Clark herself acknowledged how impressive the Valkyries have been and praised their close-knit team structure.

To Lundberg, Caitlin Clark’s praise seems to reveal her dissatisfaction with the system the Indiana Fever currently have. In fact, because of Clark’s praise, Lundberg believes that there were moments when Clark was frustrated with how her Fever team played and would have preferred a different offensive system that mirrors the Valkyries’ close-knit team structure.

“I do think at times she was frustrated with the offensive schemes that the Fever ran,” Lundberg said, reacting to a video of Clark praising the Valkyries. “And I think in her ideal world, she does control the ball, but she’s spreading the love and sharing the love, and everybody’s moving and everybody’s cutting, and she’s getting off the ball at times as well. And you’re reading and reacting, and you’re playing free, and you’re not worried about who gets the shots…”

For Lundberg, this fast-paced, unselfish, continuous-motion system, where everybody is involved and capable of contributing, is something Clark has severely lacked in Indiana, as the Fever have struggled to establish the kind of roster consistency that would allow them to rely on their entire supporting cast.

“There hasn’t been enough top-to-bottom roster consistency where you know anybody who can come in is a threat, or everybody who comes in may contribute,” Lundberg said.

And, of course, that close-knit, team-first mentality is something Clark herself expressed her admiration for while speaking on the Not Gonna Lie podcast, in an episode that aired on Tuesday. The Fever star dished out plenty of praise for the Golden State Valkyries, highlighting their remarkable ability to build a competitive roster and create an environment where everybody can thrive.

“Best part about this final series is that the Valkyries are in it because they’ve been a franchise for two years,” Clark said. “…they’ve been able to put together a roster and run an organization as well as they have. …they have really talented players, but at the same time, on any given night, any of them can have 20 points and be the star, and it seems like nobody’s bothered by that. That’s just how they are. They’re a close-knit team…”

While Clark was speaking about the Valkyries’ balanced offensive mindset, that same team-oriented synergy has also been the secret behind their devastatingly effective defensive scheme. The Valkyries secured their 2026 WNBA championship primarily through a league-best, historically stifling defense. Their defensive rating allowed just 99.1 points per 100 possessions, anchored by Finals MVP Gabby Williams and defensive powerhouse Kiah Stokes.

In fact, throughout the final series, this commitment to making the game ugly became their bulletproof formula for a championship. The Valkyries completely choked out the Atlanta Dream by doubling down on their physical style, famously holding Atlanta’s bench to just four points, all from free throws, with zero field goals in a pivotal Game 5.

Even as the Valkyries’ own offense slowed to a crawl and struggled to top 75 points, their collective, unselfish defensive synergy never wavered. It was exactly this defensive masterclass, capped off by a grueling 68-63 Game 7 victory, that proved individual scoring nights did not matter; their unbreakable, five-player defensive unit was what ultimately secured the historic title.

For Lundberg, this level of defensive assurance is something that Clark has also never gotten to enjoy with the Indiana Fever.

“The defense, that’s another thing, too,” Lundberg said. “What does Golden State do? You have a series there where nobody shot the ball particularly well, but you can rely on the defense. Caitlin Clark has never been able to do that in her career. …the defense has never bailed them out. Never bailed them out.”

The bottom line of Lundberg’s message is clear: the Fever need structural and cultural changes. And it does seem like that message is already being taken and understood, as a series of changes continues to unfold throughout the franchise’s front office. 

Following their disappointing first-round exit from the WNBA Playoffs, the Fever have already made the decision to part ways with general manager Amber Cox. Team president Kelly Krauskopf has also officially stepped down from her position.

For Lundberg, however, all these changes must eventually culminate in a system that maximizes the talent already available in Indiana. And with the foundation of Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston already in place, he believes building a competitive team around them should not be a particularly difficult task.

“Shouldn’t Be That Hard”: WNBA Broadcaster Backs Fever to Build Around Caitlin Clark, Identifying Missing Piece in Clark’s Fever Supporting Cast

By virtue of their contracts, the Indiana Fever have Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston as guaranteed presences on the team’s roster next year, amid Kelsey Mitchell’s uncertain future. And so, for WNBA broadcaster Robin Lundberg, rebuilding with a guaranteed foundation of Clark and Boston should not be a difficult task for any incoming general manager.

“The good thing is that the Fever start from that good base,” Lundberg said. “They already have Caitlin Clark. They already have Aliyah Boston guaranteed, regardless of what happens with Kelsey Mitchell. So it’s just building and constructing around them, which shouldn’t be that hard. It should be fairly easy for whoever’s taking that job over. I wouldn’t stress too much about it. Just do your due diligence and construct accordingly.”

Lundberg has even identified possible additions that he believes would be ideal for maximizing Clark’s potential and helping the Fever become a more complete team.

“I think around Caitlin Clark, you want length, you want athleticism, you want three-and-D on the wing for sure. I’ve talked about a player like Awak Kuier at the four would be ideal. She’s a restricted free agent. I don’t know if they’ll have the money to swing that, but those kinds of long-arm presences who can get things going from one end to the other end, get the stop, get Clark the ball in transition, and let her do her thing,” Lundberg added.

At the moment, however, there has not been any known roster movement or player transaction involving the Indiana Fever. The franchise has employed Excel Sports Management to help identify and recruit a new general manager. Perhaps, once that process is complete, the next active step will be signing key free agents and navigating the draft to construct the roster for the 2027 season.