With 12 regular-season games left for the Indiana Fever, the squad must notch at least six wins-thanks to the expanded 44-game schedule from the 40 played in 2023 and 2024-to beat last year’s .500 mark of 20-20, their highest win total since 2016 and first playoff appearance in seven years. It’s tough to imagine at the season’s start that they’d rank among the WNBA’s top five while thriving without their marquee player, reigning Rookie of the YearCaitlin Clark, for over half the contests. Clark paced the Fever in scoring (19.2), assists (8.4)-tops in the league-and minutes (35.4) last season.
This year, though, she’s suited up for just 13 of 33 outings, including the Commissioner’s Cup final and All-Star Game where she topped the fan vote, but hasn’t strung together more than five straight appearances. In her recent five, she averaged 11.5 points while hitting only 6 of 32 from deep (18.75%)-far from her norm, likely due to the strain of performing amid skyrocketing fame while not fully fit, leading to a visible drop-off.
The silver lining? The team has stepped up big time, credit to coach Stephanie White and standouts like Alyssa Thomas, Kelsey Mitchell, Natasha Howard, Sophie Cunningham, and the rest of the roster, who need to bounce back from a brutal 35-point loss to Phoenix-their worst setback this year.
Stephen A. Smith Breaks Down Clark’s Offensive Regression
Stephen A. Smith didn’t sugarcoat Caitlin Clark’s scoring slide in her second WNBA year. A key issue is that she hasn’t matched the output from her 2024 debut, which landed her in the top five for MVP votes, particularly on offense. Right now, she’s putting up 16.5 points a night (down from 19.2), her shooting efficiency has fallen five points (41.7% to 36.7%), and she’s connecting on a lackluster 27.9% from beyond the arc in 2025.
The ESPN talent Stephen A. Smith appeared on the August 8 episode of Real Time with Bill Maher and cut straight to the chase on Clark. “Caitlin Clark is the money maker. She’s a ratings magnet. When she’s on the court, viewership spikes, money flows, buzz builds. When she’s out, it tanks,” Smith stated,
“Ratings for WNBA All-Star Weekend dropped 36% a few weeks back. She played every game last year; this year, she’s sat out 17. Everything she does in women’s hoops turns to success… She’s really talented.”
Maher pressed if she’s the top talent league-wide, and Smith replied, “No, not the absolute best. But she’s solid, incredibly solid. She finished fourth in MVP last season. She could’ve aimed for that again, but those 17 absences, plus dips in shooting, threes, assists-all down a bit, mostly from injuries. Mark my words, she’s the WNBA’s tomorrow. She’s the real deal.”
Fever Aim to Hold Strong for Clark’s Potential Playoff Comeback
To pave the way for Caitlin Clark’s return, ideally in the playoffs or season finale, the Fever need to stay resilient and keep performing. If she returns strong and the team continues to play well, they’ll be tough to beat. Today could have been a blockbuster clash between the Chicago Sky’s Angel Reese and Clark’s Fever. However, both are sidelined with injuries. The Sky are hunting their first win over Indiana in four tries this season.
Meanwhile, the Fever are looking to avoid a third straight loss after riding a five-game hot streak earlier this week. Then, on Tuesday the 12th, Paige Bueckers and the Wings will head to Indiana for what would have been another headline-grabbing matchup, but Clark is out, and Bueckers missed Dallas’s last game due to injury.
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