“Not Running The Right System For A Player Like Caitlin Clark”: Fever Star’s WNBA Absence Offers Fresh Evidence for a Contested Indiana Fever Claim, Per Analyst
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“Not Running The Right System For A Player Like Caitlin Clark”: Fever Star’s WNBA Absence Offers Fresh Evidence for a Contested Indiana Fever Claim, Per Analyst
TheIndiana Fever's dominant win over theLas Vegas Aceshas fueled a long-standing theory about the franchise. Indiana blew out the Aces 84-68 in the franchise's first win over the defending champions in Nevada, even withoutCaitlin Clark. After the win, WNBA analyst Rosalina Lee shared a fresh assessment regarding the theory that the Fever are better without Clark.
"I think that what I noticed is this team is like, it's like they are not running the right system for a player like Caitlin Clark,"Lee said on her YouTube channel. "They're a good team without her. I wouldn't call them a contending team, but I would call them a really good team, and possibly like way up there in the playoffs, like maybe making round two in the playoffs or something like this at this point, how they are looking lately.
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"But you've got to build your system around your star player. And when it's a player as talented as Caitlin Clark, it's just a big disservice to the Indiana Fever."
The numbers reflect the crux of this assessment. The Indiana Fever are on a two-game winning streak without Clark and are 3-0 in the season without her, as per StatMuse. The free-flowing basketball they played against the Las Vegas Aces on Sunday is another testament to this highly touted theory around the Fever.
Furthermore, Rosalina Lee isn't the only analyst to echo this sentiment. ESPN analyst Lawrencia Moten emphasized a month back that Indiana's offense was far better without Clark last season, when CC spent most of the games on the sidelines due to an injury.
"This is my hot take," Moten said via The Comeback. "Honestly, the Indiana Fever played some of their best team basketball without Caitlin Clark, and that's because she's like the sun that that offense kind of orbits around. The ball is constantly in her hands, which just made their offense extremely easy to guard."
May 28, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) warms up before the game against the Golden State Valkyries at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images
Even without Caitlin Clark, the Indiana Fever made it to the semifinals. They even pushed the Las Vegas Aces to Game 5, eventually losing out 2-3. This marks another silver lining for this theory.
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At the moment, it's very well-known that Stephanie White has deployed Clark in an off-the-ball role in her system. She is still the primary playmaker of her team. But Clark doesn't carry the ball on every sequence of play. Thus, at times, this tactical resetmight eliminate her touted playmakingfrom the game.
As per MARCA, White mostlyemploys a motion offense, which gives less stability to Clark's ball dominance-focused play- the same style that gave her immense success at Iowa and her initial seasons with the Fever. This is where Rosalina Lee feels that Stephanie White should frame her system with Clark as its anchor.
But even with these theories, Clark's stat line this season hasn't dipped. She is still bending defenses with her pinpoint playmaking, dishing out 8.2 assists per game. Furthermore, CC is averaging her career-best 21.2 points per game in the season so far, per ESPN.
The bottom line is that the system might be dysfunctional for Clark. At times, the Fever might play better without her. But none of it can diminish Clark's influence as a value addition for the Fever. Because on the court, she is still one of the most clutch players on that roster.
