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Indiana Fever See Shift in WNBA Power Rankings After Caitlin Clark’s Return

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Ashish Mathur | Last updated Jun 16, 2025 4:57 PM ET

Caitlin Clark made her return to the Indiana Fever lineup on Saturday against the undefeated New York Liberty and the 2024 Rookie of the Year put on a spectacular show.

In 31 minutes versus the Liberty, Clark had 32 points, eight rebounds and nine assists while shooting 11-of-20 from the field, 7-of-14 from beyond the arc and 3-of-5 from the free-throw line.

Behind Clark, the Fever handed the Liberty their first loss of the season. Indiana won by a final score of 102-88 at home to improve to 5-5 on the season.

The Fever are in third place in the Eastern Conference. They are tied with Golden State Valkyries and Las Vegas Aces for sixth place in the WNBA.

However, with Clark back in the fold, Sabreena Merchant of The Athletic has the Fever as her third-best team in the WNBA, trailing only the Liberty and Minnesota Lynx.

Merchant had the Fever in fifth place last week when Clark was injured.

"It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Caitlin Clark’s return sparked a return to form for Indiana," Merchant wrote. "Considering how much Clark improved over the course of her rookie season, the heights she showcased against New York are potentially the baseline for what she can accomplish as a WNBA sophomore."

Clark has appeared in five games this season. She's averaging 21.6 points, 6.4 rebounds and 9.2 assists while shooting 43.9% from the field, 36.7% from 3 and 72.0% from the foul line.

The Fever made the playoffs last season for the first time since 2016. It will be fascinating to see if Clark can lead Indiana back to the postseason this year.

"The Fever play fast and shoot early in the clock, and it would behoove the front office to balance the roster in that direction," Merchant wrote. "They can trade a big for a small or simply sign another wing later in the season when they have the cap space for a 12th player. Even against a team as big as New York, Indiana should play to its strengths and not try to match those of its opponent."

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

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