Fever’s path forward with Caitlin Clark injured: Identifying three main issues from ‘gut punch’ Mystics loss

The Indiana Fever’s first game without Caitlin Clark did not go well, as they fell to the Washington Mystics in Baltimore, 83-77. Minus their maestro, the Fever struggled to get going on offense and shot 39.7% from the field, including 5 of 21 from 3-point range, and turned the ball over 17 times. 

Here’s where some key metrics from Wednesday’s defeat ranked among their five games thus far:

Points: 77 (Fewest)Offensive rating: 89.5 (Worst)Field goal percentage: 39.7% (Worst)3-point percentage: 23.8% (Worst)Turnovers: 17 (Most)Fastbreak points: 0 (Fewest)

“I think this was kind of a gut punch for us,” Sophie Cunningham said. “We’re gonna come back tomorrow at practice more focused, with more energy. We know where we want to be at the end of the season, but we’re not just gonna get there. Sometimes it sucks and it’s a grind, and that’s where we’re at right now, but I do think short-term and long-term it’s gonna make us better.”

Caitlin Clark’s injury won’t change how the Fever play, but it will change what they prioritize

Jack Maloney

Based on Clark’s initial two-week timeline for her left quad injury, the Fever will have to play at least three more games without her. Let’s take a closer look at what went wrong in the Fever’s first game without Clark, and whether they’ll be able to address those issues while she remains on the sideline. 

Zero fastbreak points: Clark-related problem

The Fever were one of the best fastbreak teams in the league to start the season. Prior to Wednesday, they were averaging 12.3 per game, which ranked fifth out of 13 teams. 

Against the Mystics, they didn’t score a single fastbreak point. 

There have been 32 games played across the league this season. On only one other occasion — the Mystics in their loss to the Las Vegas Aces — did a team fail to register a fastbreak point. 

This was clearly a Clark-related problem. She’s at her best as a playmaker in the open floor, where her vision and creativity, combined with her own scoring ability, opens up so much for her teammates. In particular, her ability to grab a rebound and go, or throw a long outlet pass, is sorely missed. 

“Not having any points in transition is one [area that was different without Clark], that’s obvious,” Fever coach Stephanie White said. “Caitlin is really good at finding rim runners, getting the ball up the floor. That’s one, we gotta be better there.”

The Fever aren’t going to get shutout in the fastbreak department every night in Clark’s absence, but they aren’t going to get as many easy points without her, which puts more pressure on their halfcourt offense. 

Getting crushed in the paint: Not a Clark-related problem

The Fever were one of the worst defensive teams in the league last season, and made a point to improve on that side of the ball during the winter. Thus far, adding the likes of Natasha Howard, DeWanna Bonner, Sophie Cunningham and Sydney Colson has paid off. 

Only the reigning champion New York Liberty and Phoenix Mercury have a better defensive rating than the Fever this season (93.9). But as well as the Fever have played defense overall this season, they were not at their best Wednesday. 

The Fever gave up 48 points in the paint to the Mystics, as well as 12 offensive rebounds, which the Mystics turned into 17 second-chance points. Both the 48 points in the paint and 17 second-chance points were the most the Fever have given up this season. 

“A lot of our breakdowns today were just knowing who you were guarding, knowing where you need to be based on who you were guarding, whether that’s off the ball, or in the gap,” Kelsey Mitchell said. “We just weren’t sharp. We weren’t sharp enough to be a contender for anything tonight.”

None of that has anything to do with Clark’s absence. 

“Any professional team that gets into the paint and gets 48 points from it, you won’t beat them,” Mitchell continued. “We need to be intentional about guarding your yard, guarding your individual person and utilizing your help when you need it. Getting punched in the mouth early is kind of of humbling.”

The Fever have defended and rebounded well enough this season that there shouldn’t be much of a concern about this trend continuing. 

Boston’s influence wanes: Clark-related problem

Aliyah Boston is off to a terrific start in her third season. 

She put up a double-double in three of the Fever’s first four games — she was limited to 23 minutes due to foul trouble in the lone game she failed to record one — and was averaging 18.5 points, 10.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists and two blocks on 60.8% from the field entering Wednesday. 

Without her pick-and-roll partner, Boston’s influence in the Fever’s offense waned. Her five field goal attempts were her fewest in a game this season. One of them was a putback, and one of them was a transition layup late in the game where she grabbed a rebound and tried to go coast-to-coast herself. 

Boston finished with 10 points, seven rebounds, four assists, two steals and three blocks on 4 of 5 shooting. She still had a strong all-around game, but on a night where the Fever were struggling to put the ball in the basket, they should have involved Boston more often. 

“I think probably a combination [of the Mystics’ defense and Clark not playing],” White said. “She gets so many of her touches in the two-man game with Caitlin on the floor. It looks different now without Caitlin on the floor. Making it a point of [emphasis] to get her touches on the block as much as in the two-man. We’ve gotta be better as coaches of trying to get her in positions to be successful.” 

The Fever can certainly be more intentional about getting Boston the ball, especially on the block. However, as long as Clark remains out, Boston is likely not going to get the same number of opportunities. 

Against the Mystics, Boston was the screener 11 times in a pick-and-roll situation. The Mystics didn’t trap the ball-handler on a single one of them, and the Fever only tried to hit Boston as the roller once (the pass was deflected). 

When Boston is running pick-and-roll with Clark, opponents often trap the latter to force the ball out of her hands. Boston then becomes the easy outlet, and when Clark finds her on the roll she gets to play four-on-three in space. There’s none of that happening with Clark out of the lineup, which is a big issue for Boston and the Fever’s offense as a whole.