Fever Coach Says Clark’s Return May Have Cost Team as WNBA Star Bemoans ‘Stinky’ Night vs Valkyries

No doubt about it, the Indiana Fever is the “It” team of the WNBA. But lately, Caitlin Clark might not be their “It” girl. Why, you ask? Caitlin Clark’s grand return after sitting out since June 24th, with a groin injury, fell completely flat. Clark, who played 25 minutes and finished with 10 points, five rebounds, and six assists, believes that “nobody played well.” However, head coach Stephanie White’s postgame remarks told a slightly different story. Her tone hinted that the problem might have started with Clark herself.

In the postgame presser vs. the Valkyries, Clark took full accountability on behalf of the whole squad. She said, “We struggled scouting report-wise, we struggled personnel. We struggled to do what the coaches asked of us. And then overall, they just played with more energy and effort.” However, later, an interviewer subtly called out that “over the last several weeks we’ve heard several times, “You got to know personnel. You didn’t know the scouting report.” 

Caitlin Clark looked visibly irked by the statement. She made a raised eyebrow gesture, clinched her lips, and nodded while hearing it. She then gave a solemn reply, “We know that, and we know we have to be better in that. We’re going to find a way to fix it, certainly.” She further added, “But you got to stop losing the ones that you’re very capable of winning. Golden State’s a really good team….. But I think we kind of shot ourselves in the foot.”

HC Stephanie White also faced the journalists post-game and made some interesting comments. “There’s always going to adjustments when it comes to people getting back into the lineup. There’s no question about that,” White commented when questioned about CC’s return to the team. This raised many eyebrows, as fans questioned whether White blamed CC for this loss? Or is she throwing her best player under the bus?

Stephanie White, new Indiana Fever head coach, speaks Monday, Nov. 4, 2024, during a press conference held on Salesforce Court at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

White further elaborated on her comments, adding, “The team has focus and shown it in glimpses, but discipline is something to be worked on for better execution.” These comments highlight that White was disappointed by the entire team’s performance. And this isn’t the first time White has commented on her team’s on-court discipline issues. After the Fever’s loss against the Sparks, White said, “We weren’t very disciplined in that,” which is similar to her recent comments. Hence, this is a recurring issue for Indiana and not just a Caitlin Clark problem.

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Caitlin Clark Gets the Shift

The Indiana Fever’s loss to the Golden State Valkyries will definitely go in their top 5 worst performances of the season. Indiana never found any sort of rhythm throughout the match. Except for a couple of five-minute spurts of energy, the Fever’s performance was completely flat, and the 80-61 blowout they suffered did not do them any disservice. Looking at the stats, this was their second-worst offensive performance of the year, further emphasizing just how poor Indiana was in this match.

Caitlin Clark was playing her first game back after a long layoff from a groin injury. And she clearly looked very rusty on her return, putting up below-average numbers with 10 points on 4-of-12 shooting. But Stephanie White did not blame CC; instead, she hinted at lineup adjustments and made it clear that some things had to change.

“I like the ability to have two primary [ball handlers] on the floor being able to give the opponent different looks,” White said. “Quite frankly, for C, especially not having to have her play under duress 94 feet.” Translation: White wants Clark to improve her off-the-ball game, even while being the team’s primary creator.

White had teased this move a day earlier. She had said, “If she’s in action off the ball or even if she’s spacing the floor off the ball, she’s going to open up things for everybody else.” Whether this tweak fixes the Fever’s struggles is still up in the air, but if one thing is certain, it’s that Indiana isn’t sticking with the status quo