August 14, 2024
Indiana Fever notebook: Caitlin Clark’s passes, defense a key focus and more Olympic break news
By Tony East
A home run derby, visits to the Indiana State Fair and defense all part of the Fever's Olympic break
The Indiana Fever are fortunate that 11 of the 12 players on the roster are in town and able to practice together during the Olympic break. Guard Kristy Wallace was playing for a medal with Australia, but the other 11 members of the Fever have been in Indianapolis and able to get in work.
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That matters for a young team hoping to build consistency and chemistry. A few close wins or losses down the stretch could be the difference between the Fever making the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
“I think the Olympic break does help for a team that hasn’t been together for a long time like us,” veteran guard Erica Wheeler said. “To be able to get these practices and some real runs in … I think it’s pretty important.”
Indiana continues to ramp up toward game action, which resumes on August 16. Friday will be the Fever’s first outing since rookie guard Caitlin Clark set the WNBA single-game assist record against the Dallas Wings, and the first of 14 chances for Indiana to prove it belongs in the postseason field. Clark’s record and the team’s Olympic break focus highlight this notebook, which details what you may have missed in Indy during the time off.
Caitlin Clark holds the single-game assist record
Before the Olympic break even started, Clark put her name in the WNBA record books. She tossed 19 dimes against the Dallas Wings and added 24 points, one of the best offensive performances a Fever player has ever turned in.
And yet, it wasn’t taken in as a seminal moment in the sport. Dallas beat Indiana and scored over 101 points along the way. Clark’s magnificent night was overshadowed by the lowly Wings.
The game was also the league’s last one until the All-Star/Olympic break, and Clark does not like to discuss her own accolades, especially after a loss. In defeat, she was asked about her passing record, and teammate Aliyah Boston made it clear it was a big deal.
“She’s going to say it means nothing,” Boston joked. “I think it’s pretty cool.”
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Clark did eventually comment, but also downplayed everything: “I just try to set my teammates up for success,” she said. “I think at times I can almost over-pass.”
The rookie guard shared that she is always looking toward her post players but has some things that she can clean up in general.
Clark’s passing has been tremendous all season, and it’s still getting better. She leads the league with 8.2 assists per game.
Indiana Fever have defensive focus in Olympic break practices
Leading up to the break, Fever players and coaches discussed how valuable the time off could be for a team that needed to focus on defense. Now, the Olympic break is here, and Indiana is taking advantage of it.
“It’s just pride,” forward NaLyssa Smith said of the less glamorous end of the floor. “Defense is all about pride and wanting to do it. That’s what we’re teaching here right now. It’s our focus.”
Currently, the Fever are 11th in defensive rating. They are winless when they concede over 86 points and have just one loss otherwise. If they can put together even just a mediocre defensive night, they’ll have a chance to win.
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Yet that hasn’t happened often enough. On occasion, Indiana puts together a notable defensive night, but it hasn’t stuck around. Inconsistency has defined the last few weeks of their season.
That’s why so much of the team’s Olympic break is about defense, and wing Lexie Hull noted that the team is focused on keeping opponents out of the middle. If the Fever want to win games and make it to the playoffs, they’ve got to get some stops.
“Hopefully, the communication part of it. We’ve been able to see, especially over the past few days, when we actually communicate and everyone’s talking, we move a lot better, move a lot faster. Because we know where everyone is,” Boston added. “Just making sure when we come out in the second half, our communication is a lot better.”
Erica Wheeler deals with travel woes during All-Star weekend
Wheeler was supposed to be a participant in WNBA All-Star weekend, but the universe had different plans.
The veteran guard was in Atlanta and trying to get on a plane to Phoenix so she could participate in the Skills Challenge. But there was a problem: It was the day of the competition, and Wheeler had no way of getting there on time.
She wasn’t able to get on a plane thanks to the CrowdStrike outage, leading to changes in the event. Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell suited up in Wheeler’s spot and even wore her teammate’s jersey.
“I was happy that Kelsey was still able to do it,” Wheeler said. “Of course, I was sad about not being able to do it.”
Wheeler was in Atlanta for the opening of a new restaurant she’s a part owner of. She was stuck in the city for a few days thanks to the outage, but the former All-Star was able to watch some of the Skills Challenge from back home with her family.
“I actually have a video of me and my family cheering Kelsey on. It was special that she wore my jersey,” Wheeler said.
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Team bonding makes Indiana Fever practices more fun
A home run derby, trips to the Indiana State Fair and dogs visiting practice are just some of the things that the Fever have done to keep things loose and build chemistry. While they were happy to be largely whole as a squad during the Olympic break, being able to bond matters.
Clark explained that she won the home run derby, and head coach Christie Sides explained that she and her coaching staff look up games for the roster to play for bonding purposes. So far, they have worked.
“You’ve got a lot of time with no games. You have to really try to … continue to have fun,” Sides said.
Her assistant coaches help come up with some of the events. They did a scavenger hunt, a communication game, a home run derby, knockout and even had dogs come visit practice.
“That’s team bonding, and kind of having fun at the same time,” Wheeler said. “Take the load off of basketball and just doing something different.”
The Indiana Fever resume play on Friday at home against the Phoenix Mercury. They’ll try to hit the ground running.
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Written by Tony East
Indiana Fever reporter based in Indianapolis. Enjoy a good statistical-based argument.
