Indiana Fever’s plan to win now under Caitlin Clark is being tested

Kelsey Mitchell (IBJ photo/Mickey Shuey)

Seven straight years of drafting in the top four, including four selections in the top two, positioned the Indiana Fever to push all of its chips to the middle of the table.

After its final No. 1 selection—Caitlin Clark—set the WNBA’s single-season assists record last summer while also posting rookie marks for points and three-pointers, the time to go all in moved up and Indiana’s championship window officially opened. Clark, the all-time scoring leader in NCAA Division I, joined 2023 No. 1 pick Aliyah Boston and 2018 No. 2 choice Kelsey Mitchell to form the foundation that the Fever would build everything on.

“Everything was put in place to build around those three right now—to win right now,” said Debbie Antonelli, an analyst for ESPN and the Fever.

Unfortunately for those with plans to visit Baltimore on Wednesday night to see the Fever take on the Washington Mystics, Clark will not be in uniform. Indiana announced Monday that she would miss at least two weeks with a left quadriceps strain. The game was moved from the Mystics’ usual home, 4,200-seat CareFirst Arena, to 14,000-seat CFG Bank Arena to welcome a bigger crowd for Clark’s visit. (Capital One Arena was unavailable because of renovations.) Ticket prices for the game on the secondary market have plunged because of Clark’s absence.

The next time WNBA fans in the region should have a chance to see Clark in person will be the Mystics’ second-to-last regular season game Sept. 7, also set for CFG Bank Arena.

Fever Coach Stephanie White said Sydney Colson, an 11-year veteran and two-time champion, will start at point guard Wednesday and veteran Sophie Cunningham will get a “heavy dose of it as well.” The presence of those two players—both in their first season with Indiana—shows how the Fever overhauled its roster, coaching staff and front office to shift into win-now mode.

White believes this moment gives Clark a chance to grow, too. She hasn’t missed a regular-season game since high school but is traveling with the team.

“It’s a great opportunity for Caitlin to watch the game from the sideline,” White said, “and to grow in almost like a coaching kind of mindset and see some different things that we might be talking about on film, addressing it in practice and see it develop in live action. When you’re on the sideline and you’re watching it as a whole, you get to see it a different way.”

After a flurry of offseason moves, the Fever’s depth will be tested. NaLyssa Smith, drafted second in 2022, was moved out in a multi-team deal that brought in Cunningham from Phoenix. Colson, two-time all-star Natasha Howard and DeWanna Bonner, the No. 3 scorer in WNBA history, joined Indiana in free agency. Former Indiana University standout Grace Berger, the No. 7 pick in 2023, was waived to make room on the retooled roster.

White, herself an offseason addition, said those moves will allow the Fever to move forward without significant concerns. The way the team plays won’t change, she said, but her emphasis on certain sets and actions will. The idea is to use the same personnel in different ways, which probably includes where the Fever’s shots will come from. The decision to keep Mitchell off the ball was a smart one, Antonelli said, noting she’s more of a threat with the ball in her hands late in a possession rather than while initiating the offense.

“[Colson] is an elite communicator,” White said. “It’s going to look different without the ball in Caitlin’s hands. What are our looks? Who can we get our looks for? And then the ability to communicate that to everybody on the floor in live action—that’s the piece that we’re still growing with.”

The Fever’s offseason changes went well beyond the players on the court. Christie Sides was fired in late October before White, who guided the Fever in 2015 and 2016, was brought back five days later. Kelly Krauskopf had returned to the Fever as president of basketball and business operations in September, and Amber Cox replaced Lin Dunn as general manager and chief operating officer in October.

So far, all of the changes have led to a 2-2 record. Indiana’s losses—to the Atlanta Dream and the defending champion New York Liberty—were by a combined three points.

The new-look Mystics (2-3) have had their share of close calls, too. Their five games have been decided by 20 points, including an 11-point difference during their current three-game skid. Still, they’re off to a better start than anyone expected. Brittney Sykes (22.3 points and 5 assists per game) is having a career year, and first-round picks Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen have put themselves in the race for rookie of the year honors. Citron’s 15.4 points per game lead all rookies, and Iriafen ranks third at 13.8 points a game and stands third among all players with 11.2 rebounds a game.

Coach Sydney Johnson said the close games are just part of the maturation process for the WNBA’s youngest roster—and he knows the Fever will be a test even without Clark.

“This is a veteran team that many people project them to compete for a title,” Johnson said. “They’ve got plenty of players to step up. … A lot of presence on the ball that we’ll see differently but plenty of talent to fill the void. They play so fast, their interior presence is quite significant, and they shoot the ball well.”

As the Mystics focus on long-term development, the Fever provides an example of how hitting on a top draft pick can speed up your timeline. Now, with its superstar sidelined, Indiana must develop in a different way.

“I’m looking forward to it,” White said. “We’ve got a real opportunity to grow here.”