Caitlin Clark put together a tremendous rookie season, breaking several records and quickly establishing herself as one of the top guards in the game. And yet, there were some things she had to work on. Her turnovers were a major issue, especially early in the season.
Clark averaged 5.6 turnovers per game as a rookie and turned the ball over ten times in her WNBA debut with the Fever. Entering the 2025 season, that seemed to be less of a problem. Being a rookie guard and handling the ball as much as Clark does is extremely difficult, so getting more WNBA experience was one of the easiest solutions to the problem. Clark only turned the ball over ten times over her first three games of the 2025 season.
In the Fever’s loss against the New York Liberty, Clark’s turnover problem resurfaced again. She finished the game with ten turnovers—almost as many as the Liberty totaled as a team.
New York is a strong defensive team
It is no coincidence that Clark’s first game with that many turnovers came against the Liberty. New York is an incredibly strong defensive team and has the personnel to put much more consistent pressure on Clark than the Chicago Sky and Atlanta Dream.
Between Natasha Cloud, Kennedy Burke, Breanna Stewart, Leonie Fiebich, and Jonquel Jones, Clark had to deal with a swarm of good defenders. Cloud, in particular, was a problem. She finished the game with five steals and three blocks, including a great defensive possession on Clark to close the game.
So, the Liberty’s defense certainly had something to do with Clark’s many turnovers, but she will have to learn how to beat even the best defenses if the Fever are to win at the highest level. While the Fever only conceded ten points of their sixteen turnovers this game, that may not always be the case.
In close games against the best teams, every possession matters, and the Fever should want to limit how many they give away.
The Fever came close to beating the reigning champions
Despite the many turnovers by Clark and a squandered double-digit lead, there is plenty to be excited about for Fever fans. For one, Indiana came very close to beating the reigning champions. Competing with and beating the best teams in the league is the ultimate goal for the Fever this season. They showed that they could do the first part, even if it didn’t result in a win quite yet.
Moreover, Lexie Hull had a strong game in her first start of the season, and the power of the two-man game between Aliyah Boston and Caitlin Clark was on full display.