WNBA: Fever, Clark not yet ready to contend to with Wilson, Aces

Entering Wednesday night’s game, the main question should have been, “Are the Indiana Fever legit and can they prove it against the Las Vegas Aces?”

Instead, the focus was on Caitlin Clark, as she continues to be involved in storylines which place ridiculous expectations on her shoulders. During the span of the last three weeks, Clark has averaged 25 points per game, was selected Eastern Conference Player of the Week three times in a row and has numerous people calling for her name to appear on the MVP ballot. Additionally, she became the first rookie to earn Player of the Month honors for her play in August. So, it should make sense that she’d be among the top five players in the league, right?

According to the WNBA’s official MVP ladder, that is only good for an honorable mention, with A’ja Wilson, Napheesa Collier, Sabrina Ionescu, Breanna Stewart and Alyssa Thomas making the top five. Wilson is the MVP, end of topic. And if Wilson hadn’t been as dominant as she has been, Collier should get the award because of her ability to take over games and do whatever is necessary for the Minnesota Lynx to win. The New York Liberty and the Connecticut Sun deserve at least one player representative to recognize the season that both teams are having. But should Ionescu AND Stewart be placed in front of Clark? And both in front of Thomas? With no consideration for someone like the Seattle Storm’s Jewell Lloyd?

The arguments for Clark are evident: 19.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, 8.5 assists, 1.3 steals per game. Against? 5.7 turnovers per game. That’s it. She takes too many risks when passing the ball. One might argue that Kelsey Mitchell and Lexie Hull have been phenomenal following the Olympic break as well. But, not taking away from either’s excellent play, they are beneficiaries of Clark’s presence on the court. She opens up spaces and creates chances for both to score. Even when Clark struggles, she still impacts the game by giving opportunities to her teammates.

Against the Aces on Wednesday night, Clark shot 27.3 percent from the floor (1-of-10 from 3) and had five turnovers. She contributed 16 points, three rebounds and six assists, but her shooting woes didn’t help her team (nor her MVP-ballot case). Mitchell scored a team-high 24 points (47.4 percent from the floor), Aliyah Boston had 10 rebounds (but made just 30 percent of her shots) and NaLyssa Smith grabbed six boards and blocked two shots. But the heaviest burden was put on Clark, and playing against such an experienced team, she couldn’t carry it.

Will she be ready on Friday night, when the Fever face off against the Aces one last time this regular season (7:30 p.m. ET, ION)? Possible, but doubtful. Luckily for the Fever, they will close out the season with games against the Dallas Wings (Sunday, Sept. 15, 3 p.m. ET) and the Washington Mystics (Thursday, Sept. 19, 7 p.m. ET), two teams they have already beaten this year.