WNBA: Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever are making playoff push

Leading up to the trade deadline, there were suggestions from some fans that the Indiana Fever (13-15) should make a trade involving Lexie Hull, Katie Lou Samuelson, or both. Hull has only started one game this season and her playing time has decreased compared to last season. Samuelson also lost her starting position to Olympic bronze-medalist Kristy Wallace for a significant portion of the season.

Instead of GM Lin Dunn, it was Caitlin Clark who took action by going on a vacation to Mexico with Hull and Samuelson during the Olympic break. Did the decision pay off? Hull made an impressive 6-of-7 shots from beyond the arc in the recent win against the Seattle Storm, scoring a career-high 22 points. On the other hand, Samuelson has struggled, making only 1-of-7 field goal attempts in the two games post-break. Despite this, Hull has established herself as a top defender and a long-distance shooting threat, much to the delight of Clark.

Clark continues to impress by setting a new record for most assists by a rookie with 232 and counting. She has been averaging 8.3 assists per game and is now the team’s leading scorer with 17.8 points per game. Kelsey Mitchell closely follows with 17.7 points per game, but her contract expires after the season, leading to speculation about her future with the team.

As the Fever move forward, they are on a 2-0 streak since the post-Olympic games resumed and will face a challenging schedule with five games in seven days, four of them on the road. Their upcoming matches include games against the Lynx, Dream, Sun, Sky, and Wings.