Caitlin Clark is one of the biggest stars in the WNBA, and yet she is nowhere close to winning a title.
Her Indiana Fever lost in the first round to the Las Vegas Aces, who in turn lost to the eventual champion Golden State Valkyries. With the Valkyries hoisting the trophy and San Francisco showing out with a victory parade this past week, it highlighted the goal for Clark and the Indiana Fever - and showed just how far away they truly are.
Where do Clark and the Fever need to improve to find themselves in the mix to win it all?
Caitlin Clark needs to be better
When Caitlin Clark has the ball in her hands, magic often happens. She is fearless in taking long-range shots, she has great touch around the rim, and her passing is the best in the league -- perhaps in the mix for the best in the history of the W. As an on-ball player offensively, Clark is sublime.
The other end of the court, however, is a complete 180. If Clark is one of the league's very best offensive players, she is one of its very worst defensive ones. During the regular season her effort waxes and wanes, making the problem worse. Yet even in the playoffs, when Clark is locked in and trying her best, she is bodied out of the way or blown past on possession after possession.
Watching the WNBA Finals between the Valkyries and the Atlanta Dream highlighted just how damaging a defensive hole in the lineup can be. Even when Dream point guard Jordin Canada was struggling on offense, head coach Karl Smesko didn't want to sub her out, because his bench options were defensive liabilities. When Isobel Borlase was on the court in Game 7, she hit some big shots, but she was also hunted mercilessly by Gabby Williams.
To survive at the highest levels of the WNBA now, you have to defend.
The Fever need a deep roster
It's reactionary to say that the age of the three-headed super team is gone in the WNBA; the Las Vegas Aces just won with their version of that a year ago. Yet the ensemble nature of the Valkyries is going to usher in a new era, where a deep team with plenty of versatility can rise above a think team with a handful of stars.
The Fever played with three stars and middling depth all year, and while it produced two all-time seasons from Kelsey Mitchell and Clark, it also left them with no levers to pull when they were getting overwhelmed by the Aces in the playoffs.
When things didn't go well for the Valkyries in the Finals, head coach Natalie Nakase had options. She could lean on the newly signed Aminata Gueye to slow down A'ja Wilson in one round, then turn to Laeticia Amihere in Games 6 and 7 of the WNBA Finals for a different look. Teams like the Fever, Aces and the Dream were ultimately done in by a lack of playoff-ready players.
Clark needs an elite coach to work with
Finally, the Indiana Fever need to ensure that Caitlin Clark has an elite head coach to go to war with. Nakase proved to be an inspired hire for the expansion Golden State Valkyries, someone with experience in both the NBA and the WNBA, most recently as the understudy to Becky Hammon in Las Vegas. Her ability to not only execute a game plan but also build a culture set the Valkyries up for the ultimate success.
Stephanie White might be up to that task, but she hasn't proven it with this team yet. Indiana is turning over its front office this offseason, and it's not yet clear if White will stick around. If she does, she will be working for a front office that didn't hire her, putting her on thin ice if the Fever have another disappointing season.
Caitlin Clark wants to compete for championships. The Fever want to compete for championships. They just saw what it took for the Valkyries - and it showed Clark just how far away she is. Now it's time to get to work and close that gap.
Add us as a preferred source on Google