Caitlin Clark rebounded from her poor WNBA playoff debut on Wednesday to score 25 points against the Connecticut Sun, but the almost-certain Rookie of the Year couldn’t stop the inevitable from happening. Connecticut knocked the Indiana Fever out of the playoffs in two games, but Clark and company provided more than enough exciting moments to put a scare into Suns fans down the stretch.
After the game Clark spoke about seeing “what’s possible” for the Fever, and she also spoke about her own game, stating that she’s just scratching the surface. That’s a scary thought for the rest of the league, but there were some small gaps and warts in her game, so it’s worth talking about what Clark herself referred to as “nitpicking” to see what she might be working on during the offseason.
Caitlin Clark’s turnover problem is mostly about making better decisions
The most obvious issue in Caitlin Clark's game was turnovers. Early on they were all about inexperience, but as the season progressed and she and the Fever improved, it became clear that some of her turnovers were about making poor decisions and choosing the tough, highlight-reel pass over the safer and more sound basketball decision.
One problem related to this is that Clark loves to play fast, and so does her backcourt mate, Kelsey Mitchell, who’s lightning quick on the offensive end. But that also produces turnovers. Some of this will go away with experience, but Clark also needs to break down her own tape and realize what she’s doing so she can change what’s not working.
Kelsey Mitchell needs the ball in her hands more
Clark is obviously a brilliant ball handler and a deadly shooter, so it was natural for coach Christie Sides to put the ball in her hands for the majority of Indiana’s possessions. But that also led to stretches where the Fever offense grew stagnant, especially when opponents drew up schemes to get the ball out of Clark’s hands.
There’s an obvious answer to this—make sure Kelsey Mitchell also sees the ball and runs the offense regularly, too. She’s much more geared to getting her own shot than Clark, but having time and another training camp together should help rectify that issue. It would also make Indiana’s offense that much more dynamic, and it’s already one of the best in the league.
Defense
Clark wasn’t a very good defensive player for most of her rookie year, but it wasn’t necessarily her fault. She lacked the footwork and knowledge to stay in front of whoever she was guarding, but she improved significantly of the season, especially when you consider that the Fever were a poor defensive team overall due to their youth and inexperience. Most of this will improve over time, but Clark has some learning to do about when to overplay, when to sit back, how to play the passing lanes, etc.
Off-Ball Movement
Another issue that surfaced late in the season for Clark was spectating rather than moving without the ball. She and Mitchell both did this consistently against Connecticut, leaving Aliyah Boston to fend for herself down low against multiple defenders when a simple cut or constant movement would have created an opportunity. Clark’s model here should be Rip Hamilton, who was a master at moving without the ball to create shots and passing angles. She has the athletic ability to do it, it’s just about putting in extra conditioning work.
Clark also needs to get stronger. She got bumped off her spots and routes way too often last year. She doesn’t need to put on muscle or weight, she just needs to be a little stronger to hold her own against some of the league’s more bruising defenders, who were able to take advantage of her fairly consistently. Clark has an amazing future ahead of her, and cleaning up these issues would make a huge difference next year.