Caitlin Clark on eve of Fever’s season opener: ‘I don’t think I’ve arrived, by any means’

INDIANAPOLIS — Caitlin Clark is more confident on the eve of the Indiana Fever’s season opener than she was a year ago. Yet, she isn’t resting on her laurels after a historic Rookie of the Year season that led the Fever to their first playoff berth in nearly a decade.

“I crave wanting to be better,” Clark said after practice Friday. “I know I can get a lot better. I don’t think I’ve arrived, by any means. I don’t think I’m at the peak of my game yet.”

Clark led the WNBA in assists (8.4), ranked seventh in scoring average (19.2) and top 20 in rebounds (5.7) and steals (1.3) as a rookie, earning her a fourth-place finish in MVP balloting. She is the betting favorite at BetMGM to win MVP — though a guard hasn’t won the award since Diana Taurasi in 2009 — and the revamped Fever are favored to compete for a championship after their offseason talent overhaul.

The Fever begin their season at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Saturday against the rival Chicago Sky (3 p.m. ET, ABC).

Caitlin Clark signs autographs after an exhibition game against Brazil on May 4, 2025, in Iowa City. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
 (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Clark said Friday she has a “different sense of confidence” heading into her second year as a pro, an assertion she’s made repeatedly within the past few weeks of understanding how things work now and knowing “what I was able to do in Year 1.”

“I’ve been in this league for a year now,” Clark said. “I know I belong. I know I can perform, and I know I can make my teammates better every single night, and that’s my job.”

The Fever added former WNBA champions DeWanna Bonner, Natasha Howard and Sydney Colson in free agency, as well as guard Sophie Cunningham. Cunningham, who injured her ankle in the final preseason game, is out for the opener, according to the team.

It won’t change the starting lineup, which is projected to be Clark, Bonner, Howard, Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell. It’s a major difference in what head coach Stephanie White, who formerly led the Connecticut Sun, saw from afar a year ago.

“She’s got more talent around her than she’s ever had in her life, right?” White said. “Her ability to know and grow into when to take the shot or take over, and when to get everybody else involved, and then building that trust and knowing that she’s got five, six people around her that can take the shot, she doesn’t have to make every home-run play.”

Clark said she was diligent this offseason in scheduling workouts, improving strength and working with the new coaching staff.