After the Fever’s loss to the Golden State Valkyries, despite Caitlin Clark’s return, Lexie Hull raised concerns about the team’s discipline. She did so in a more subtle manner than Stephanie White, who said, “Our attention to detail, our discipline. I felt like our energy and our competitive fire was not there, and that’s disappointing.” Instead, Hull pointed to the Commissioner’s Cup game, the one the team played without Clark. Explaining that the team needs to play like they’re earning $30,000 each time, Hull said, “We raised to the occasion when we’re playing for $30,000 [in the Cup final] and we need to bring that level of focus and that level of energy every single day.” But is that “money motivation” all? Well, influential voices like Carolyn Peck didn’t think so.

“I think that Indiana is even more dangerous when Caitlin Clark doesn’t play,” Peck said. “Because she’s a ball-dominant guard. The ball is in her hands a lot, so you know what you need to try to take away. But when you look at Indiana now, they’ve got so many weapons.” And just like that, the “with or without Clark” debate resurfaced. While Peck received a lot of flak for her comments, they didn’t stop anyone from drawing comparisons between games where the Fever are 5–5 with Clark on the floor and 5–5 without her. Take Sophie Cunningham, for example.

It was just two days ago that Sophie said, “I think that everyone saw that we kind of got some flow when Cait was hurt, and our offense was clicking,” and while she immediately followed with, “we have to have a new offense when she’s in there, because she just brings that much to the game,” it was the first sentence that stuck, and overpowered the rest. Fast forward to the Atlanta game, and Sophie Cunningham echoed a similar sentiment during the postgame press conference. She said, “Uh yeah, I think that um our team kind of got in a groove uh honestly when Caitlin got hurt um and we were playing good offense, uh good defense.”

Now, we’re not entirely sure what Cunningham’s exact reasons are, because she also made it clear what she truly believes: “But we’re a whole different team when she isn’t (injured). And so we have to learn how to adjust, how to get her involved, how to keep people who are hot hot.” Still, most others attribute this ongoing narrative to Clark’s recent shooting slump. Before going down with a groin injury, Caitlin Clark was already struggling with her shot. In the three games prior, she shot just 26.5% from the field and made only one three-pointer in 23 attempts. Since returning, things haven’t exactly improved; she’s gone 3-for-12 from deep over her last two games.

Still, head coach Stephanie White isn’t worrying much, or at all. “Every shot she shoots looks like it’s going in to me,” White told reporters after the Atlanta game. “I know it doesn’t mean anything that I’m not worried about Caitlin’s shot — but I’m not worried about Caitlin’s shot.” And if you’re a bit confused, White gave a reason for her stance, one that hadn’t received much light until now. “Her shot quality that she’s been getting has not been great,” White acknowledged. “We’re just so used to seeing her make tough shots. To be able to do that while she’s recovering from injury is going to be more difficult. That’s part of the reason that we want to try to make her life easier, and get her some easier looks. And it’s going to continue to be hard because every defensive game plan is to not allow those.”

Also, even with Caitlin suffering from a shooting slump, she hasn’t stopped contributing to the team’s success. Clark recorded 9 assists tonight while also grabbing 4 rebounds. She had a similar impact last game against Golden State as well–where she provided 6 assists and got 5 rebounds! They say a great player makes everyone around them better, and Caitlin Clark keeps showing exactly that. Her 9 assists tonight didn’t just help Boston, but also set the tone for Sophie as well! Cunningham went on to finish the game with a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double performance. So, the talk about the Fever being better without Clark? That feels more like recency bias than reality.

That said, Clark did speak about her shooting struggles once again in the media.

Caitlin Clark addresses her shooting woes

Clark has missed 10 games this season due to two separate injuries, so a dip in her shooting efficiency isn’t exactly surprising. Her coach said the same thing in the media tonight. “She’s recovering from injury. She plays heavy, hard minutes,” White said. “Every defensive assignment, every defensive scout, she’s at the top of the scouting report.” Now, sure, you could say that 3.6% shooting from beyond the arc in road games just isn’t acceptable, and you wouldn’t be wrong. But Clark herself got candid about what’s currently going wrong and addressed the issue in the media.

“I mean, I feel like the thing when I’m missing shots, a lot of the time it’s my feet. Like, I’ll become very narrow, or my feet won’t be set in the way that I need them to be,” Clark said in the pre-game conference. “As a shooter, your feet and your legs are probably the most important thing. Your balance, even if you’re coming off, facing a different direction, if I’m balanced, I still feel like I have a great chance at making it.”

Unfortunately, that didn’t happen against the Dream. But there is no reason to believe it won’t happen going forward. We all know what Clark is capable of doing. This looks like a temporary slump – something she can overcome once she gets a consistent run of games. What do you think? Will she find her rhythm back anytime soon? Let us know in the comments below!