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It's rare for a player as hyped up as Caitlin Clark is to not just deliver on the lofty expectations, but even surpass them. That is exactly what Clark has done, changing the Indiana Fever's fortunes immensely for the better. On Wednesday night, Clark played her part (19 points, five rebounds, and five assists) in a balanced effort for the Fever in their huge 84-80 win over the Connecticut Sun that now has them just one game below .500 (15-16).
But as good as Clark has been in her rookie season, she is not without her weaknesses. She can be inefficient, shooting-wise, at times due to the variance involved in having a jumpshot-heavy shot diet. But the biggest drawback of her game at the moment is her struggles when it comes to taking care of the basketball. The Fever may have won a crucial contest against the Sun, but the Iowa product turned the ball over seven times on the night — an unacceptable number.
Caitlin Clark now has 171 turnovers on the season in just 31 games, for an average of 5.5 giveaways per game. Just to put in perspective just how unsightly the Fever guard's turnover numbers are, Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints noted that Clark now has more turnovers than Jaylen Brown (166), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (162), Alperen Sengun (162), Bam Adebayo (162), and Tyrese Haliburton (159) did for the entirety of the 2023-24 NBA season — and those players have played in over double the number of Clark's games.
(For reference, Brown played 70 games. SGA played 75, Sengun played 63, Adebayo played 71 games, and Haliburton played 69.)
Last season, the NBA league-leader in both total turnovers and turnover average was Luka Doncic. Doncic, much like Clark, is a ball-dominant player who is an offense onto themselves. And yet, Doncic averaged 1.5 fewer turnovers per game (4.0) last season than the Fever guard is doing at the moment. This is evidence that the Fever guard has plenty of work left to do in improving the biggest weakness of her otherwise great game.
Of course, it's important to note that Clark is also putting up historic assist numbers in the WNBA, and with a ton of playmaking opportunities comes plenty of turnover chances as well. Nonetheless, the Fever guard is only 22 years of age and she has time on her side as she looks to navigate the intricacies of being an elite playmaker in the association.
Caitlin Clark's next step of improvement for the Fever is crystal clear
The hallmark of a great playmaker is the ability to make one's teammates better by putting them in the optimal position to succeed. However, it's hard to give the team the best chance of success if there is an inability to preserve possessions. This is an ethos taken to heart by Chris Paul, one of the greatest point guards of all time, as well as Tyrese Haliburton — players who rack up the assist numbers without being reckless in possession.
The Fever have the potential to make some noise in the postseason, but they can only go as far as Caitlin Clark takes them. The team is shooting well from beyond the arc — always a huge factor in postseason series — but they have to give themselves a chance against other powerhouse teams by tilting the mathematical equation in their favor.
Given Clark's current career trajectory, it will be unlikely for her to suddenly become Chris Paul/Tyrese Haliburton/Tyus Jones-esque when it comes to being protective with the basketball. But cutting down her turnovers to at least an average of three to four per game will help the Fever immensely.
