Caitlin Clark Lays Out Clear Expectations for Fever

Caitlin Clark is entering her second season with the Indiana Fever, who selected her first overall in the 2024 WNBA Draft. As a rookie, she shined—averaging 19.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 8.4 assists per game—while winning Rookie of the Year, earning All-WNBA First Team honors, and finishing in the top five in MVP voting.

While Clark found plenty of individual success, the Fever struggled as a team. They started 0-5 and dropped to 3-10 at one point. Indiana went on to finish the 2024 WNBA season 20-20 and were swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Connecticut Sun.

The 23-year-old star spoke to the media on Friday after practice as she and her team made their final preparations for Saturday’s season opener against the Chicago Sky. Clark spoke about the expectations surrounding the Fever since her arrival and revealed that their goal during her rookie year was simply to make the playoffs, having not done so since 2016.

"I always expect to win, whether it's last year or whether it's this year. I think last year, our goal was getting back to the playoffs, coming in here as a rookie," Clark said. "That's kind of what we were expected to do."

Clark then went on to highlight the job Indiana’s front office did this offseason, adding veterans like Sophie Cunningham, DeWanna Bonner, Brianna Turner, and Natasha Howard. The 6-foot guard has a different outlook on this season, saying, "We expect to win championships."

"And then this year our front office made a lot of really great changes to be able to put this roster together and construct a team that can really win now if we do everything the right way," Clark added. "But, it's a long season. It's 44 games. It's going to take a lot of time. And then once you get to the playoffs, that's when you need to be playing your best basketball. So in our locker room, I mean, we expect to win championships. And that's what we're going to try to do."