How backcourt duo of Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell is guiding Indiana Fever to wins

The Fever have improved their offense as the season has gone along. In May, they ranked 11th in the WNBA in offensive rating (points scored per 100 possessions), but in August, they’re first. At the same time, their dynamic backcourt continues to build chemistry and crush defenses. Dominant play from their guards could be the determining factor in the team finding consistency and reaching the playoffs.

“I enjoy it. I just think basketball is a language, and you’ve got to get on the same page with your counterparts,” Mitchell said of her relationship with Clark, who she sometimes calls “C-Squared.” “Me and C-Squared like to play a certain way, and that’s fast and up-tempo. So I’m going to always align based on how she’s playing and how the game is going. I’m going to take it in stride because I enjoy it.”

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The Fever currently have a 105.6 offensive rating with both Clark and Mitchell on the floor, per PBP Stats. When Mitchell plays without Clark, that number drops by about one point per 100 possessions, and in Clark’s minutes without Mitchell, that number falls to 98.0. They work better together than apart and force defenses to make tough decisions.

When Clark is handling the rock, opposing players have to keep their eyes on her as well as on their own matchup — her passing and scoring require constant attention. Because of that, opponents make mistakes when trying to recover or rotate into position.

Mitchell, meanwhile, is fast and lethal from long range. She has shot better than 37% from deep in five of her seven pro seasons, including this season. If she gets a sliver of space, she’s getting a shot up. Her combination of skills is hard to guard.

Someone has to guard Clark. That player can’t also guard Mitchell. Defenses have to give something up against the Fever, and recently, nobody has been able to stop the right things.

“I think we’ve gotten a lot better understanding each other as we’re playing the game [and] looking for each other when each other’s hot. [Mitchell] got hot there, made a few in a row, so you’re just looking to find her. I think in transition, especially, the way she runs the floor with her speed, I’ve always got my eyes up looking to find her,” Clark said after a win on Aug. 16 before describing a few types of cuts that have made the duo successful.

“That chemistry that you get used to playing with one another has taken time, but I think we’re really starting to get it down.”

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Per PBP Stats, Clark’s effective field goal percentage while playing with Mitchell is 52.7%. Without Mitchell, that number drops to 47.4%. Mitchell has 13 assists to Clark this season, which is the most of any player on the Fever roster. Clark has 50 dimes to Mitchell — only outdone by her passing connection with Aliyah Boston.

The two guards make each other better and make the team more efficient. Recently, it has helped them steamroll high-level opponents.

“With this being such a young team with no experience together, as the season goes, they start recognizing things with each other,” Indiana head coach Christie Sides said. “Caitlin had a couple of possessions where she knew that Kelsey was hot. She didn’t even need me to call what we were going to run in a dead ball situation; she went right into something that we have in for Kelsey.”

Sides later shared more details about how, through conversations and experience, she and Clark have learned to see the game through each other’s eyes. “That’s just growth. It’s just these guys getting to know each other and trusting each other,” she said.

The Fever smacked the Seattle Storm and topped the Phoenix Mercury last weekend. It was their best two-game stretch of the season, and maybe even the last few seasons. They scored over 90 points in both games and have now done that in four of their last five outings.

Against the Mercury on Aug. 16, Clark had 29 points and 10 assists. Mitchell was close behind with 28 points. Two days later, the rookie scored 23 points and added nine assists against the Storm, while Mitchell had 27 points.

On the season, Indiana is 3-0 when both guards reach 20 points. As their chemistry grows, so do the number of wins for the Fever. Mitchell and Clark have led the Fever to seventh in the WNBA standings, two games ahead of the Chicago Sky for the eighth and final playoff spot.

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“I think she’s so unique. Honestly, I think her speed, there’s nobody I’ve played with that has the speed that she has, and the way she can finish around the rim but also be a really good catch-and-shoot 3-point shooter. She creates off the dribble,” Clark said of Mitchell. “I don’t think there’s really anybody I’ve played with that’s similar to her from a standpoint of how she can do multiple different things.

“And for her size, it’s really impressive, too. She finishes around the basket really well for her size. … I think you can see us starting to develop our chemistry more and more. Especially in transition, she’s really starting to read my eyes and read exactly what I want here and there in transition. It’s created a lot of fun plays for us.”

Those plays are more than just fun, though. They’re effective, and they’re leading to wins — and a potential playoff berth — for the Indiana Fever.