Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White offered high praise for Caitlin Clark’s approach as the team gears up for the 2025 WNBA season. Speaking early in Fever training camp Monday, White emphasized that Clark’s commitment goes beyond typical definitions of hard work.

“We talk about work ethic a lot, but work style is another thing,” White said in a video posted on X, formerly Twitter, by James Boyd of The Athletic. “She doesn’t waste reps. She literally does embody the, ‘How you do anything is how you do everything’ … She approaches it with such a discipline.”

Clark returned to Indianapolis after a busy rookie season where she helped the Fever earn their first playoff appearance in eight years. Her accolades included Rookie of the Year, Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year and Time magazine’s Athlete of the Year honors. After a demanding schedule that stretched from her college season at Iowa through the WNBA’s 42-game slate, Clark took advantage of the offseason to refocus her game and physical conditioning.

“It was an adjustment sure, because I was so used to playing minutes for, well, basically a year of my life. That’s all I did,” Clark said, as reported by Michael Marot of the Associated Press. “So the rest was good. I thought it was going to feel long and it really didn’t. We were in here all the time. But that rest aspect, just getting my body where it needed to be and really on things I needed to work on was super important. But I’m ready to compete again.”

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Despite an 81-game workload over nearly 11 months, Clark returned to training camp with a noticeably stronger frame and sharpened skills. Veteran teammates like Kelsey Mitchell noted the difference, pointing to Clark’s improved strength, vision and passing ability. Clark set the WNBA single-season record for assists last year with 337 while averaging 19.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game.

With Indian's revamped roster that features seasoned players like Natasha Howard and DeWanna Bonner, the Fever are aiming to contend deeper into the postseason. Clark’s evolving leadership and consistency have been evident from the outset of camp, with White praising her detailed, disciplined practice habits.

Indiana opens the regular season May 17 against Chicago. Clark, who has embraced the higher expectations placed upon her, said she is excited for the challenge.

I love basketball, like that’s one of the most fun things in the world,” she said. “So I’m happy to be back.”