The Indiana Fever has been without their superstar Caitlin Clark since the middle of July, which was her third injury layoff of the season. Clark has now missed a total of 18 overall games in the WNBA this season, but the Fever has found ways to cope.
Despite struggling through stretches with offensive production, the Fever, led by stars such as Aaliyah Boston, Kelsey Mitchell and Aari McDonald, have kept the wins flowing. And if Candace Parker is to be believed, Clark’s return represents a scary proposition for the rest of the league.
“As a player that has unfortunately played on the sideline for a little bit, where you get to observe your team and see where you can add. Like, Caitlin is one of those people that has a high IQ,” Parker explained on the Post Moves podcast.
The three-time WNBA champion was speaking from experience, and claimed that Clark’s time on the sideline will allow her to see exactly how she can further add to the Fever’s dynamic when she eventually returns. In her absence, Boston has become a double-double machine, Kelsey Mitchell has recorded multiple high-scoring games, and McDonald, Sophie Cunningham, and Natasha Howard have all contributed more expansively.
“So, I know she's watching and I know she's going to come back and make you all that much better. So, it honestly is scary because not only are you allowing other people to step up, but you're allowing Caitlin to then survey and realize, oh, she can add I said from the get-go, Indiana fever scary,” Parker concluded.
Clark has not had a bad season at all. She has averaged 16.5 points, 8.8 assists, and five rebounds per game. The fact that she can thoroughly improve her 44.1% efficiency by itself is a scary proposition.
However, Parker believes that now that the Fever have had a lengthy winning run without their biggest star, Clark’s return is only going to make them an even better unit.
