Last year, the Indiana Fever found themselves at the top of the WNBA Draft with a chance to take a former Naismith Player of the Year in Aliyah Boston. Back in the lottery in 2023, Indiana again wound up with the No. 1 pick – and this time, there’s a back-to-back Naismith winner waiting atop the board.
The Fever will get the first chance to select Caitlin Clark out of Iowa as the No. 1 overall pick, and the excitement is building. Ticket prices for Indiana games, both home and away, are rising as fans hope to see the Division I all-time leading scorer. The Fever will also get their share of games on TV, with 36 of 40 games being broadcast in 2024.
General manager Lin Dunn pointed out the buzz around the top pick last year, but said this year’s selection is bringing in even more attention – for obvious reasons.
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“We had a lot of excitement last year when we had the No. 1 pick and we went with Aliyah Boston. And there’s a lot of excitement now about having back-to-back picks,” Dunn told reporters Thursday on a Zoom call ahead of Monday’s draft. “I think you’ve seen a great deal of interest in ticket sales around this pick, and I think we’re all excited about adding another top pick to this young team. Is there lot going on, is there a lot of noise, is there a lot of excitement? Absolutely.”
Indiana finished the 2023 season with a 13-27 record to return to December’s draft lottery. The expectation was that the Fever would have the chance to take Clark, but her decision wasn’t so cut-and-dry. She had the COVID-19 waiver in her back pocket and, therefore, could’ve returned to Iowa for one final season.
Ultimately, she declared, and the anticipation is building off the court. On the court, though, Clark presents a unique fit in Indiana with the current Fever roster. Not only could she form a one-two punch with Boston in the pick-and-roll, but she could also tee up Kelsey Mitchell for some catch-and-shoot threes.
That’s why ESPN’s Rebecca Lobo said Indiana is a great landing spot.
“I’m really excited to see Caitlin surrounded by the players that are already on the Indiana team because her vision is next-level and I’m eager to see players around her who can consistently see what she sees and finish what she delivers to them,” Lobo said. “I think Caitlin kind of had the perfect complement of players around her at the college level where she could do everything to help them maximize their skillsets. Kelsey Mitchell is an excellent catch-and-shoot when it comes to three-point shots, I’m eager to see Caitlin set her up. I’m eager to see her in a pick-and-roll with Aliyah Boston, I’m eager to see NaLyssa Smith getting rim-runs and getting the ball delivered to her like she never has before.
“There will be challenges, but at the same time, the talent around her is also going to be better. So I’m excited to see what that looks like, in particular, on the offensive end of the floor.”
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