26.9 points: A’ja Wilson scored that on average over the last season, which is more than any player in the history of the WNBA. Scoring more than 1000 points in the process. Diana Taurasi is the closest, with her 25.3 points per game way back in 2006. It’s unlikely any player will replicate the season Wilson had last year. You’d argue it was because of the sheer athleticism, experience, and IQ. But for Caitlin Clark, there might be another factor acting as a hurdle.
After a rookie season averaging 19.2 points, Caitlin Clark knew where she needed to get better. The 23-year-old poured in hours on strength and conditioning while Stephanie White and Keith Porter gameplanned to add mid-range shots and floaters. It’s anyone’s guess she will lead the MVP race at some point this season. However, leading the league in scoring? The WNBA Ringer Show host, Seerat Sohi, is asking you to hold on that.
“I think I want to put Caitlin in here as well, but at the same time, I just kind of feel like with how much balance there is on the Indiana Fever, I think that so many of those shots will actually, like, just end up in the hands of other players,” the host remarks. Well, rightfully so. The combination of the Fever rising as the top offensive team this season, paired with Caitlin Clark’s love for being a facilitator, does not exactly push her case for ‘top scorer’.
We saw the depth in the first two games of the preseason. First, Sophie Cunningham stunned the crowd with a 21-point performance against the Mystics, and despite Clark’s memorable 3-pointers, Kelsey Mitchell finished as the top scorer in the next. The former wasn’t even the first choice coming off the bench; that was reserved for Sydney Colson, another veteran with a proven caliber. Then there was consistent Lexie Hull– among the top-2 scorers both days.
As Rachel DeMita had previously noted, “Other WNBA teams are not going to be able to guard Caitlin Clark in the same way that they did during her rookie season because you have so many assets on the court.” The Fever is stacked. The points and minutes are going to be divided. You know what that means– lessened competition for the others in the race. Namely, Kelsey Plum.
One of the hot takes Seerat Sohi received on her podcast was that Plum would be leading the league in scoring this season. According to her, while that is a possibility, it does come down to how the rest of the top players perform. We have A’ja Wilson, coming off a historic season. Then there is Jewel Loyd, who had 24.7 points per game two seasons ago. However, with both of them being surrounded by scorers once again, the focus shifts back to Plum. And let us tell you, she has all the right tools by her.
To start with, Plum played on the same side as Wilson last year with the Aces, so most of the scoring was dominated by her. Since then, she has moved to the Sparks in search of something new, and well, she has found a pretty fair fit. As a leading veteran, she has the offense focus on her, allowing her to take the lead. And in the preseason game against the Valkyries, we saw how Plum controlled. She played for 24 minutes, took nine shots, including four 3-pointers, while also dishing out five assists. Although she struggled getting those shots from behind the arc, going 0-4, it was an off night, considering she made the third-most three-pointers last season, only behind Caitlin Clark and Arike Ogunbowale.
For the second advantage, the 2x champion has Lynn Roberts, an offensive coach, at the helm. Roberts left Utah after nine-plus seasons, including three consecutive NCAA tournament berths, leading Utah to the conference regular-season title and a Sweet 16 appearance in 2023. Her impressive CV comes along with her fast-paced style of play, preferring to score 3-pointers– Utah led the 3-pointers attempted per game charts in their conference in the 2022-23 season. They also scored the most points per game from the field as well as overall. That just demonstrates how much Sparks will prefer to focus on the offense.
With more possessions, offensive push, and quick pace, Sohi sees the hot take coming true for a moment. “I see no reason why she can’t average, let’s say, 25 points per game, especially if she gets to the line more,” she adds on her podcast. If Plum were to indeed surge ahead, it would be a revenge of sorts for the Sparks star against Clark. How?
The 2024 ROTY beat her college record of most points scored and most points scored in a single season. Plum scored 3,527 points in her college career at Washington – a record that had stood since 2017. Clark scored her 3,528th career point in the first quarter of the Hawkeyes’ matchup against Michigan in February last year, replacing the hooper on top. She also had 1234 points in the 2023-24 season, beating out Kelsey Plum’s 2016-17 season of 1109 points. Now, Plum has her opportunity to eclipse Clark in the WNBA.
Indiana Fever cautious with playing Caitlin Clark
CC missed out on the season’s opening preseason game against the Washington Mystics with a minor left leg injury. She came back to play her part in her homecoming in Iowa against Brazil, playing 19 minutes and scoring 16 points with six rebounds and five assists. But it seems the injury wouldn’t just go away, according to the Fever coach, Stephanie White.
“She’s been limited in practice, so we’re still very cautious about working her way back and really letting her body kind of tell her how much she’s able to do,” Fever coach Stephanie White said Wednesday. “We’re really relying on the training staff, and she’s making great progress. And that’s what we need, just to make sure that we’re super cautious.”
The injury was highlighted during the regular medical checkup prior to the season, and it hasn’t subsided since. She is just taking part in the warm-ups and basic cardio. Considering the signs, it seems to be a muscular problem, so maybe if the game against Brazil wasn’t in Iowa, she might have sat that out too.
It seems the Fever have a few kinks to iron out ahead of their season opener against the Chicago Sky on May 17. With one final preseason game left against the Atlanta Dream, all eyes will be on whether Caitlin Clark suits up. While her recent leg tightness has been downplayed, any lingering issues—or worse, a setback—could spell trouble for Indiana.
The post Indiana Fever Teammates Spoil the Fun for Caitlin Clark as Kelsey Plum Eyes Long-Awaited Revenge appeared first on EssentiallySports.
