- WNBA. The WNBA loses its star as Angel Reese fans celebrate Caitlin Clark's absence
- WNBA. Caitlin Clark injury shakes up WNBA title race as Fever slide in the odds
The Indiana Fever's young WNBA season just got a lot more complicated. With rookie phenom Caitlin Clark ruled out for at least two weeks due to a left quad strain, the Fever are suddenly tasked with playing without their offensive centerpiece.
Clark has yet to miss a game in her college or professional career-until now. Her presence has defined Indiana's offense, and without her, the challenge becomes not only replacing production but also maintaining identity. That won't be easy.
So far this season, Clark has averaged a team-best 19.0 points per game and leads the entire WNBA in assists with 9.3 per contest. Her rebounding numbers are solid too, coming in at 6.0 boards per game.
Even if her 40.3 percent shooting from the field hasn't been elite, her shot volume-15.5 attempts per game, tied with Kelsey Mitchell for the team lead-makes her central to Indiana's system.
Her impact extends beyond stats. Clark has a usage rate of 25.9 percent, the highest on the Fever roster and the 13th-highest in the WNBA. That's not the kind of workload you replace with one player. It's a gap that will require a total team effort.
Veteran depth and defensive grit must now carry Indiana
Fortunately for Indiana, the front office made backcourt depth a priority heading into 2025. The Fever acquired veterans like Sydney Colson and DeWanna Bonner to give the roster more flexibility and experience.
While both are closer to the tail ends of their careers, they've been through high-pressure situations and can still contribute meaningful minutes in Clark's absence.
The team also returns key rotation players like Kelsey Mitchell, Lexie Hull, and Sophie Cunningham, all of whom have been logging heavy playing time. The hope is that this group can elevate their games to collectively fill the void left by Clark-at least temporarily.
However, replacing Clark's offensive value won't be as simple as redistributing shot attempts. As ESPN's Alexa Philippou noted, the Fever have a startling efficiency drop when Clark is not on the floor.
"Clark s for so much of their offensive production that it'll be difficult to make up for that," Philippou wrote. "So far this season, Indiana's offensive rating is 107.5 with Clark on the floor and 82.2 in 20 minutes with her off it. Assuming their scoring output takes a hit without Clark, that'll put pressure on the Fever's defense to step up even more so they can pick up some wins that way."