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Indiana Fever coach Christie Sides has urged rookie star Caitlin Clark to be more assertive offensively after a ive performance in Thursday's loss to the Seattle Storm.
Clark was disappointed with her own performance on Thursday, in which she didn't shoot the ball from distance, which has been one of her marked strengths since arriving onto the basketball scene in college and then the WNBA.
"Caitlin Clark needs to shoot a minimum of 15 shots a game for us," Sides declared in her post-match interview.
This came after Clark attempted just nine shots in an 89-77 defeat against the Storm, according to ESPN's own statistics.
"She's got to get shots, and we've got to do a better job of setting her up, setting some really good screens for her to get her open," Sides continued.
Is this poor performance a one-off?
Clark has had an impressive rookie season, averaging 16.2 points and 6.6 assists per game while attempting 12.2 field goals per game. Despite being defended physically all season, Sides believes more on-ball opportunities for Clark are crucial for the Fever's success.
Clark's 12.2 field goal attempts per game rank 22nd in the WNBA this year, the highest among rookies. However, she has only attempted 15 shots once in the past 10 games, despite doing so four times in May. This is a stark contrast to her final season at Iowa, where she averaged 22.7 shots per game.
In the past two games, Clark has been less aggressive than Sides would like. During Thursday's loss, Clark attempted nine shots, while three other Fever players took more shots. Fellow guard Kelsey Mitchell leads the team with 13.4 shots per game.
In an 88-87 loss to Angel Reese's Sky on June 23, Clark attempted just one shot in the final seven minutes and three shots in the fourth quarter as the Fever squandered a 15-point third-quarter lead. Clark opted to to a teammate rather than take a potential go-ahead shot in the final 20 seconds.
"I never want her to not be aggressive and take shots," Sides said after the loss.
"I really thought when she went out in transition after that missed free throw, she was going to take it to the rim or pull up right there. That would have been a great shot for her, for our team."