Diana Taurasi bullish on Indiana Fever with healthy Caitlin Clark

During an Aug. 6 appearance on USA TODAY’s “Sports Seriously,” WNBA legend Diana Taurasi spoke highly of the Indiana Fever’s potential when the franchise is able to get a healthy Caitlin Clark back on the floor this season.

Taurasi, who is regarded as one of the WNBA’s most influential players during its now-28 years of operation, played 20 seasons with the Phoenix Mercury from 2004-24, where she retired as the league’s all-time leading scorer and as a three-time champion. Taurasi was also a 10-time All-Star, 10-time All-WNBA First Team selection, 2004 Rookie of the Year Award winner, and won the league MVP award in 2009 and Finals MVP in 2009 and 2014.

When asked about Indiana’s much-improved play as of late, who have gone 6-4 in their last 10 games, Taurasi said that the Fever are a team she would not want to face in the playoffs, especially when Clark is fully healthy in the lineup.

While the Fever struggled to find consistency without Clark in her first three injury stents of the 2025 season, the team’s collective unity and resiliency over the former Hawkeyes’ most recent string of absences has greatly improved their ability to compete in a possible playoff appearance.

“I think what the Fever are doing without her, that’s going to help them in the future too. Knowing that they can win a game when she’s not on the court, or she’s not at her best. So, yeah, that Fever team, I would not want to play them with a healthy Caitlin.”

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It is worth noting that Taurasi’s comments were given just prior to the Fever’s Aug. 7 95-60 bluggending by the Phoenix Mercury, where the team lost point guards Sydney Colson (torn left ACL) and Aari McDonald (broken bone in right foot) to season-ending injuries.

Despite the new injuries that have hit the Fever, Taurasi’s comments on the team’s ability to manufacture wins while being relatively shorthanded should still be a strength that could make Indiana a dangerous team to face in a playoff scenario.

As for Clark’s return timeline, the team has given very few updates on her recovery process since the August 3 report that the franchise cornerstone point guard had begun performing full-court running drills in team practices.

Even with the lack of injury status updates for the team, there is still a hope that Clark could possibly feel confident enough for a return around the August 22 home matchup against the Minnesota Lynx, which follows a five-day break between games on Indiana’s schedule.

With Indiana’s next three games against teams with a combined 0.415 winning percentage (Dallas, Washington, and Connecticut), the Fever have an excellent chance to possibly incorporate Clark back into an already confident squad.

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