3 Things Caitlin Clark’s Fever Need to Fix to Emerge as Title Contenders

This season did not start the way Caitlin Clark and her Indiana Fever wanted when they lost four out of their first four games. That is not the start a team with championship aspirations wants.

Those losses do tend to throw a team into a spiral, and that is what it did. Fans and the media noticed that the team, which consists of quite a few players from last season, was struggling to play well together.

The team might have a few new pieces, but integrating them should not have led to such a difficult eight-game stretch. Even the ardent fan noticed that the fluidity was missing.

Was it because of the return of Caitlin Clark? After all, she missed two-thirds of last season due to injury. In the meantime, the rest of the squad made a run to the playoff semifinals.

This month, the Fever had put together a 5-1 record before losing back-to-back games to Angel Reese and her Atlanta Dream. This should be the final alarm bell sounding off, as if they continue on this trend, the Fever can forget about contending for a championship.

Reese and her teammates showed just how their combined skill, physicality, and defense were enough to disrupt the Fever. For this to come at a time when Caitlin Clark was supposed to get all the marketing hype around her signature shoe, it was as bad as it could get.

Caitlin Clark and her Fever need to fix their half-court schemes

One of the primary problems facing the Indiana Fever is their half-court execution. The Atlanta Dream exposed this issue well with their physical perimeter defense.

They know Clark is devastating once she picks up speed, which is why the team instructed their players to stay glued to the point guard’s hip at all times.

That slowed down the Iowa native, and as a result, the Fever’s offense collapsed. Either they were forced to go for an unplanned shot, or one of them had to go one-on-one.

The Indiana-based squad is not as physical, and that exposed them to relentless pressure even when Clark did not have the ball in her hands.

She still managed to score 26 points in each of those two games, but the Dream forced 12 total turnovers out of her. Add the early fouls, and it is clear that Angel Reese and her teammates managed to get what they wanted.

If the Fever are to stop this from becoming a recurring habit, head coach Stephanie White has to figure out how to alter their half-court schemes when opposing teams change tactics. Otherwise, Caitlin Clark might have the numbers, but won’t have the wins to show for it.

Caitlin Clark and her teammates have to defend intelligently

Those early fouls can be quite the problem for anyone, let alone someone like Caitlin Clark, who does not have the best reputation when guarding opponents.

She may have upped her effort on that side of the ball, but baiting her into fouls is easier than what some of her better defensive teammates will.

Either defensive coach Briann January has to figure out a scheme to avoid the 24-year-old from getting exposed to such fouls. Or, she may have to help Clark improve her anticipation.

Moreover, January might also want to go over the schemes with the rest of the players. It is not as if they can suddenly compensate for the lack of physicality and size against teams like the Dream or the New York Liberty.

Therefore, the smaller Fever have to find ways to slow opponents. Otherwise, they can forget about the playoffs, let alone contending for a title.

Caitlin Clark’s Fever should look at the trade market

The lack of size is telling, and even Caitlin Clark remarked on how other teams are stacked compared to hers. The lack of size inside and interior defensive prowess has been one of their biggest deficiencies. The franchise focused on guards this offseason.

Even their fans were not happy, pointing out how the lack of interior presence was evident. However, the league’s trade market is still open. If anything, the Fever could get feelers from other teams with disgruntled players.

One of the best options they could try is to ask what the Dallas Wings want for letting go of Alanna Smith. The Aussie was signed as one of their marquee players. But so far, she has come off the bench and is averaging just 15 minutes a game.

The reigning co-Defensive Player of the Year was integral to the Minnesota Lynx’s run to the 2024 WNBA Finals, and has the FIBA World Cup to get ready for in a few months. Pairing her alongside Aliyah Boston might be a good way to regain dominance inside the paint.

That will alter the way the rest of the team plays and even alleviate pressure off the guards. There are other players the team could look at, but the priority is to establish an interior presence.

Moreover, they need to do all of this before it gets late. Once the losses pile up, they will lose ground in the postseason standings. Quite a few teams have rebuilt their rosters with a view to contending for the title. This season is the Fever’s to lose if they do not act now.

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