71! That’s how many deep threes Caitlin Clark has launched from beyond 24 feet this season — and she’s hit 23 of them, a solid 32% clip. But even strong shooters hit rough patches, and right now, Clark’s in one. She’s gone just 1-for-17 from deep over her last two games, sending a ripple of panic through Fever Nation. Once celebrated for her limitless range, she’s facing questions — not about her talent, but about the toll of the spotlight. And according to one WNBA analyst, the bigger concern might not be her shot at all.

On her Courtside Club podcast, Rachel DeMita dissected Clark’s latest outing in Las Vegas. In Sunday’s 89-81 loss to the Aces, Clark went seven for 20 overall and 1 for 10 from three. “And if you are a fan of Caitlin Clark, you know that this is so unlike her,” DeMita observed. But what truly floored her wasn’t the misses—it was the pass. Clark, wide open at the top of the key, elected to feed Aaliyah Boston instead of firing. “I feel like that’s the first time that I’ve ever seen Caitlin pass up an open shot from three,” DeMita said. “And I really hated it in that moment because I hope if nothing else, I hope that it’s not getting to her mind because a mental block is so much harder to break than a cold streak when it comes to shooting.”

Pressure, admittedly, according to DeMita, might be creeping in. The only other stretch when Clark struggled like this came before her quad injury in May when she just scored 11 points and went 0-5 from 3-point range and ended up breaking her streak of having 140 games with atleast 1 or more 3’s.

Yet no one can say what’s festering behind closed doors—in drills, in film sessions, or inside Clark’s own mind. As DeMita put it, “we for sure as hell do not know what’s going on inside of Caitlin Clark’s mind. So if you are an Indiana Fever fan, the last thing that she needs is people turning on her because she had an off shooting night.”

Despite her ice-cold outside touch, Clark still poured in 19 points and dished out 11 assists. Aliyah Boston carried the scoring load with 26 points, and Kelsey Mitchell added 20. But turnovers became the true story of the night: Clark coughed it up 8 times—her most since her injury against the NY Liberty. Dave Portnoy captured the mood on X: “As bad a half as I’ve seen her have. When she’s off it’s really hard for them to win. Turnovers. Bad shooting. The works. Lone bright spot, Aliyah (Boston) was great. Gotta bounce back.” And analyst Jason Whitlock piled on: “7 turnovers for Clark again. Awful performance today. 1 of 7 from three. She’s shook since the Barbie Brawl.”

Still, blaming Clark for every wrinkle misses the bigger picture. In T-Mobile Arena’s barn-burner, it was A’ja Wilson’s 24 points that swung the game, snapping Vegas’s three-game skid.

The real frustration for Fever Nation wasn’t just Clark’s cold streak—it was watching the rookie phenom get stripped of the ball and dump passes under duress. As fans vented online, they overlooked that Clark’s creativity and court vision have become this team’s engine.

Caitlin Clark’s Stardom Is Fueling Views — and the Pressure

And well, she might as well be the engine of the entire WNBA. Why? Because the numbers say so.

The Indiana Fever’s win over the New York Liberty on Saturday wasn’t just a big night for Caitlin Clark — it was historic. The game averaged 2.2 million viewers, peaking at 2.8 million, making it the third most-watched WNBA game ever on ABC. WNBA broadcasts on ESPN are up 14% from last season. One player’s presence is clearly powering the league’s media machine.

But with that spotlight comes weight. Every move Clark makes — every stepback, every turnover, every open three she passes up — is dissected. As the Fever tries to shake off inconsistency and Clark searches for her rhythm beyond the arc, the microscope intensifies.

In fact, this is the reason why even the bench players of the Fever are being scrutinized, after Brianna Turner logged four minutes alongside Clark, and the Des Moines darling tallied three turnovers, fans quickly turned on Turner, who barely played 6 minutes of the whole Aces game.

Of course, this level of attention comes with its perks: all five of Indiana’s starters have landed in the top 40 of WNBA All-Star voting.

As Courtney Williams put it best: “That really shows you the influence that Caitlin Clark got.”

And that’s exactly why Clark needs to break out of her slump — not just for herself, but for her teammates and her coach, Stephanie White, who are all judged by the standard of someone already being compared to Michael Jordan.

Expectations like that don’t come with patience.