Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK

Caitlin Clark's Former Coach Reveals What Fever Star Has 'Never Been Great' At

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Angelo Guinhawa | Last updated May 23, 2025 9:16 AM ET

The Indiana Fever got their revenge against the Atlanta Dream on Thursday night, but it wasn't exactly the best game for superstar guard Caitlin Clark.

Clark finished with 11 points, four rebounds and six assists, all while committing five fouls and four turnovers. She shot 4-of-11 from the field, failing to make any of her five attempts from deep.

It was a stark contrast to her previous two performances, during which she had a triple-double and double-double, respectively. In their season-opener against the Chicago Sky, she finished with 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. In the next game, which was against the Dream as well, she had 27 points and 11 dimes.

During Thursday's contest, as Clark struggled offensively, her former Iowa Hawkeyes coach Lisa Bluder was asked in the broadcast about the defense on the Fever guard and what else she can improve.

Bluder didn't hesitate to point out one area that Clark has never really thrived in: making backdoor cuts.

Considering that Clark has been guarded intensely by their opponents, as Bluder observed during the Dream game, Bluder expressed the belief that the Fever star needs to work on that part of her game in order to make her a threat when she doesn't have the ball.

"Caitlin's never been great in the backdoor cut," admitted Bluder, who coached Clark from 2020 until she finished her collegiate career in 2024.

"I think that's something she can really improve on in the future. ... If they are gonna faceguard her, that's what you gotta do."

Lisa Bluder joins the broadcast and talks about how Caitlin can improve and the team can deal with the face guarding pic.twitter.com/8E1uS2bEmi
— correlation (@nosyone4) May 23, 2025

Clark is at the center of the Fever offense, which isn't really surprising since she's a great playmaker and passer. It's worth noting that she led the WNBA in average assists per game in her rookie year with 8.4.

With that being said, Bluder makes a good point about Clark needing to thrive off the ball. If she's able to add that to her game, there's no denying that she will be an even bigger threat and a more impactful player for the Fever.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: