Fever @ Sun preview: No, Indiana is not better without Caitlin Clark

The most ridiculous opinions are the ones that get the most play these days, sadly, especially for those on the right, it seems, something that could probably get 2,000 words easily here (and then 1,000 ridiculous comments after).

This, unfortunately, bleeds into the sports world as well, especially women’s sports, where even the mere mention of Caitlin Clark sets off alarms. The WNBA would not exist without Caitlin Clark, you know, and everyone in women’s sports owes their livelihoods to her. Not bowing down to her legacy (at the age of 23) is a sign of complete disrespect, especially if you’re Black.

And saying that there are better players in the current WNBA? Well, you’ve just set yourself up for hours and hours of comments from people who have never actually watched a full WNBA game, but darned if they don’t know everything about it.

You’re probably well aware of all that if you’re reading this, but it is possible to go too far the other way as well. Clark has played only 13 games this season, and won’t be in uniform Sunday at Mohegan Sun Arena. Although Indiana has been able to tread water in her absence, saying the Fever are better off without her is quite ridiculous.

DiJonai Carrington guards Caitlin Clark in last year's
playoffs (David Butler II / Imagn Images)

And, yes, there might be a handful of players better than her in the WNBA currently, but she has every chance to be a future MVP of the league. Yes, the league would not only be surviving, but thriving without her. However, her impact and reach is remarkable and certainly won’t hurt the players at large when the new Collective Bargaining Agreement is signed (let’s hope there’s no work stoppage next season). The cheapest ticket was close to $200 for Sunday’s game, but have dropped to $50 when it became obvious Clark will not be participating.

Lately, on the court, the Fever have started to sink as Clark does not seem really close to returning. They’ve lost four of five (including Dallas at home and Washington), and sit precariously just 1.5 games ahead of the streaking Los Angeles Sparks for the final playoff spot with 10 to go.

It doesn’t help that guards Sydney Colson and Aari McDonald are also lost for the season, but there could be a bit of desperation from Indiana, who has Minnesota twice in a row next week, followed by a west coast trip. Clark’s earliest return date seems to be on the west coast trip, but if she can’t come back then, she might be done for 2025, which would be sad for the WNBA (maybe not for the Sparks, though).

This presents an opportunity for the healthy Sun, whose only road win this season came against the Clark-less Sun, and they played a Fever team with Clark tough in Boston (which it doesn’t look like they’re going to now) last month.   

What else can we look for Sunday afternoon at Mohegan Sun Arena?:

INDIANA FEVER @ SUN

Time: Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT

Place: Mohegan Sun Arena; Uncasville, Conn.

Records: Indiana 18-16; Connecticut 6-26

TV: NBA TV, WNBA League Pass

Line: Indiana -6.5

Absences: Indiana - Caitlin Clark (out, groin); Sydney Colson (out, season ending knee); Aari McDonald (out, season ending foot).

Connecticut - NONE.

History between them: There were no scuffles in last month’s 85-77 loss in Boston, which the Sun led in the fourth quarter. The meeting before saw Jacy Sheldon and Sophie Cunningham ejected, of course, and although Sheldon is gone, Marina Mabrey and Bria Hartley will be out there, so who knows? One of the six Sun wins came at Indiana (without Caitlin Clark), but Connecticut also did very well against Caitlin Clark and Indiana last season, sweeping them 2-0 in the first round of the playoffs (and prompting a WNBA rule change because the Fever never got a home game). The Sun also won the regular season series 3-1, including a lopsided win in Clark’s first regular season game. Indiana did beat Connecticut in the 2012 Eastern Conference final on the way to their only WNBA title, led by Finals MVP Tamika Catchings, even though Tina Charles was the 2012 league MVP.

What to look for: With all the injuries, Indiana is just really thin at the moment and with the amount of games being played, it’s been tough to keep up the same intensity, they are down to ninth in opposing two-point shooting (49.7%, you know who’s last in that category), and Kiki Iriafen had a field day Friday night for the Mystics. The Sun will have more rest in this one, too, and - in addition to the guard problem - Aliyah Boston has not gotten the help she needs in the paint from Natasha Howard, who had just one rebound against Washington (although she did have 12 against Dallas).

Led by Leila Lacan and Saniya Rivers, the Sun have creeped up to fourth in forcing turnovers (15.8% of possessions), maybe the highest of any statistical category I can find, to be honest. You would think the gameplan will be to pressure Kelsey Mitchell as much as humanly possible to get her to cough up the ball. As I’ve said before, at least it gives the Sun some kind of identity these days and it’s been fun to watch. 

Key players:  Indiana: Odyssey Sims - Sims was signed to a hardship contract last week by the Fever and, with their recent struggles, should see a decent amount of minutes Sunday to try to take some of the pressure off of Mitchell and could be a wildcard in this one if she’s effective.

Connecticut: Bria Hartley - Hartley is coming off her second ejection of the season and hasn’t made a whole lot of friends with opponents this season, although she’s largely steered clear of Sophie Cunningham and the Fever. Still, with an angry and desperate Indiana team coming in, who knows? The Sun could definitely use Hartley’s shooting.

Advanced stat:  7.9 - Turnover rate for Kelsey Mitchell, lowest on Indiana, so getting the ball from her might not be quite as easy as it looks.

Tactical spotlight: Mitchell is going to take a ton of shots, and the question with a high usage player like that is how much to let her take potentially bad shots or how much to double her to get the ball out of her hands. Mitchell is one of the best scorers in the league, but is not nearly the passer Clark is (she’s actually behind Aliyah Boston in assist rate), so that might be better than open Sophie Cunningham threes (44.3%) or even Lexie Hull (36.5%). Then again, Mitchell can score 40 points just as easily, too.

Connecticut’s offense continues to steadily improve, despite Marina Mabrey having just hideous offensive numbers, shooting 34.9% from the field and 27.8% from three-point range, which wouldn’t be so bad if it wasn’t such high volume (14.4 shots per game, seventh most in the WNBA). But she’s got to be due, right? Teams are just going under every screen involving Rivers and Lacan, and long-term they have to punish opponents for that, it just makes it so hard to get good offense that way, and that’s where Hartley shines, shooting well off the dribble.

Inside the numbers: 22 - Number of games Caitlin Clark will have missed this season after Sunday, exactly half the 2025 regular season.

Prediction: 82-81 Connecticut