How the Fever are surviving without Caitlin Clark

Indiana fever guard Cetleen Clarke Did not miss a single game between her four years Iowa And her first WNBA season, playing At least 206 consecutive competition Dating back to high school. But before a left quad strain sidelined only four games in the 2024 Ruki of the Year campaign on the 2025 campaign, a season filled with disappointment was predictable.

After that initial absence, Clarke returned to five more games, which began with the best performance of 2025 so far: 32-point outing at home against defending champion New York LibertyBut a left waist disease Sidelined him again In late June, this time for four games. And after returning to less than 100 percent health and after returning to games – he scored an unwanted 12 points on 31% shooting on that period – an injury to the opposite waist landed clark Back to injured list For the last 10 games of fever.

Out of the potential 32 competitions, 19 of the 19 (Commissioner Cup Championship Games) were sidelined for their best player for 19, the fever season could have been a disaster, but it did not happen. Instead, they are on track to make the playoffs and are expected to improve the victory of the previous season. Latest aloe forecastEspecially if they can rally after losing guards Saw mcdonald And Sydney Kolson To Season-ending injuries On Friday. He also won the Commissioner Cup without Clarke.

Fever (18-14) is not enough Good chances Without Clarke; they lost Los angeles sparks And this Phoenix mercury Average 22 points to end four games trips last week. But they have Survived Without him to go 10-9, including 6-4 on the latest stretch. Let’s dive into four reasons. They are able to remember the highest-profile star of the game for most time of the season.

Clarke-cum schedule has been favorable

There was a lucky draw with the absence of Clarke in fever, aligning with an easy stretch of the schedule. Except for the Games against fever, their 2025 opponents’ average net ratings have been -1.8 -the second easiest in the League, only from the front Minnesota Links On -2.1. But Clarke missed the Games (in which the fever has increased to 10–9), the average net rating for his opponents has been -2.7, as he has compared to -0.6 in the games played (of which they are 8–5).

Easy rescue has mainly promoted that difference in the strength of the schedule. While the average of fever in Clarke’s game was slightly better on rival crime – with the average efficiency of assets per 100, which he missed in the missed games compared to 103.7 compared to 103.7 – they were especially better on the other side of the ball, allowing 0.9 lower points per 100. This has made this possible for the leading scorer of Indiana – recently, Kelsey michelle, Aliah Boston, Sophie Cunningham, Natasha Howard And McDonald – To preserve the crime, Clarke was in court when she was in court to spread to the team’s 31.4% team (League) Third highest use rate,

Now, the average rival of fever has become more difficult because Clarke-cum has dragged part of their season. While the average rival had -5.7 pure ratings in non -evil games during his first injury, the figure rose to -3.1 during the absence of his second injury. And during the latest stretch, fever has essentially faced a schedule close to the league average, on average -1.0. (Five of the 10 sports were against up-and-average opponents, and were on the road. Still on that stretch, Indiana is 6-4.)

Defense of fever is for real

Clarke’s 16.5 points and fuel to crime, without 8.8 assistance per game, Indiana needs to turn elsewhere for a win, and it has been found on the other side of the ball: WNBA is the best defense of WNBA than 2024, which has helped them to move without Clarke.

In the previous season, Indiana finished 11th of 12 teams in the defensive ratings, allowing 6.0 more marks per 100 property from average. (Incidentally, it was part of why Clarke’s crooks were less advanced matrix on the year Compared to the traditional copy-game number. When you have an average of 35.4 minutes for one of the 30 worst defense in league history, it is difficult to make a concrete case for a huge two-way price.) But this season, the fever is up to 8 of the 13 teams up to 8 of the 13 teams, which has 1.0 less marks per 100 marks than average.

The 7.0-point improvement in the defensive rating is the 15th largest year-to-year leap that has been taken on defense by any team in WNBA history.

A defensive change with the new coach Stephanie White was to be expected, which led the league number 1-rated defensive team, Connecticut sunIn the last season. Apart from Howard and Cunningham, those who had a history of solid defensive metrics were also due to optimism. And Clarke Placed to improve On D in his second pro season.

Nevertheless, the results are remarkable, six out of six-five-un-depleting protectives of the team are registered. Rapter ratingWhile his rescue showed cracks in the back-to-back games last week, allowing an inaccessible high 127.6 proficiency rating (against good crimes in sparks and mercury), fever has rally rally on defense.

Extending responsibility more equally and efficiently

Clarke’s use with one of two WNBA players and to rank inside the top five of the use when it is healthy this season (New York) Sabarina Eonacu The other is), it is not possible for fever to change his production with a player, but they have managed to rebuild Clarke’s contribution.

While the average game score’s roof-one player’s box score contribution contributes an all-in-one summary-coort without Clarke without Clarke vs. Clarke for the five most productive players of fever (16.2 to 14.0), the floor has increased (7.2 to 8.6) and average (10.9 to 11.2).

Some players have improved the Clarke-cum-cum system developed compared to others. For example, Boston has suffered without his point guards as an ongoing friend: Clarke has missed the Games, Boston’s real shooting percentage (TS%) has fallen from 63.2%to 56.7%, and is scoring low (13.9 to 6.9 points), a trend that has deteriorated only in this latest stint without Clark. Lexi plow There is one -3.6 raptor from July 16, and Sydney Kolson A left ACL was at -9.1 before being lost to the season with tears.

On the other hand, Michelle and Howard are score more in sports without Clarke, and McDonald’s had up to 11.6 ppg to 11.6 ppg with 60.0% TS% in the most recent stretch of the game before facing McDonald’s facing his season-ending foot injury.

game

Short-handed fever roll past sky 92-70

Kelsey Mitchell leaves 26 as an injury Indiana, without Cateline Clarke, cruises in the back of Chicago.

Cunningham has set fire to an average of 12.4 ppg with 76.1 TS% -45.5% 3-point thanks to a sizzling-and +0.4 raptor since 16 July.

With a lot of injuries, fever will again have to reshuffle its mixture, but White has done a big job of re -assigning roles and responsibilities that maximize a roster designed to move around a player originally to move around a player who has missed the campaign a lot.

Remember: it’s about existence

In Clarke’s absence 10–9, fever has deployed himself for a playoff run that maximizes the capacity of a season that he has missed 60%. But they are still a better team with him in the lineup – and they will need him with full force to compete for the championship.

Before getting out of the gas during its stretch on the road, the fever was playing some of his best Clarke-Less balls with a five-game winning streak. But after accounting for the location of the game and rival quality, his overall net rating in sports without Clarke (-0.3) is not even close to what is in the Games with Clarke (+6.4), mainly due to his crime. With Clarke, the +4.4 aggressive rating of fever is expected that the third best in the league would be good enough to rank; But without that, they essentially fall to league-average despite Michel’s scoring, pre-scoring Renaissance of McDonalds and the efficient game of Howard and Cunningham.

This is attractive to look at the difference of one-game in Indiana’s record with Clarke vs Clarke and concludes that remembering his superstar has not made much difference on the team’s results. But like very much when Chicago Bulls 55 games won after Michael Jordan retiredIn 1993–94, the magnitude of Clarke’s absence is being hidden by fate, schedule power and other factors unclear in the topline records.

Fever should be appreciated for the challenge of avoiding three different parts without Clarke. He has shown that he has a title depth of a title contender, while the lesson is likely to learn to be important under the stretch. But don’t let the records mislead you: The numbers say they will need Clarke, and in its best, until the playoffs are closed to reach their roof.