Indiana Fever Stretch Without Caitlin Clark Reveals Hard Truth

The Indiana Fever have managed to tread water, sitting at 4-5 on the season and picking up a pair of wins against the Washington Mystics and Chicago Sky despite the loss of their leading scorer.

Still, concern is mounting for a Fever squad that added depth in the offseason in an effort to provide a stronger supporting cast for their budding superstar.

For Indiana, losing their offensive engine was always going to be an immense challenge. It's hard to replicate Clark's on-court production, even by aggregation. That said, the numbers point to some red flags that even a fully healthy Clark may not be able to completely conceal.

Now with a five-game sample size, let's dive into the splits.

The Fever averaged 88.0 PPG in four games with Clark, second-highest in the WNBA during that span. That's been cut down by double digits—Indiana is averaging 76.4 PPG without Clark, the second-lowest mark in the league since May 25.

They go from averaging 20.0 AST (5th in WNBA) to averaging 17.8 (10th in WNBA).

Both make sense in the context of Clark's injury, as the 23-year-old led the league in assists last season and averaged 9.3 in her first four games.

Indiana did fare better with other traditional metrics. The Fever remained in the top third of the league in FG% and actually saw a slight uptick in three-point volume, a more diversified effort from distance that could be worth maintaining even upon Clark's return.

The most jarring discrepancy, however, regards their pace of play.

Fans have been quick to notice that the Fever look noticeably slower without Clark on the floor. The numbers loudly back that claim up.

With Clark, the Fever had 49 fast break points, tied for third in the WNBA with 12.3 a night.

In the last five games, that number has nosedived to 19, an abysmal league-worst 3.8 per game. For context, the Phoenix Mercury, who rank second-to-last in fast break points during this span, average 9.1 per game.

Then there's the pace metrics.

PACE/40 is an advanced stat that measures a team's possessions per 40 minutes. While this can be affected by the opponent at times, a team with a fast style of play is going to see more possessions per game over the course of a season.

During Clark's four games, the Fever had a PACE/40 of 84.12, the second-highest mark in the league, shy of only the Chicago Sky (84.75).

In Clark's wake, it's dropped off a cliff. Over the last five games, Indiana's PACE/40 is 76.90, dead last in the WNBA.

With Clark and Sophie Cunningham both sidelined, veteran guard Sydney Colson has started each of the last five games at point guard, contributing to the Fever's slower approach offensively.

But it's also worth considering the influence of a new head coach in Stephanie White.

While Indiana ranked third in pace under head coach Christie Sides last season, White's Connecticut Sun were last by a full possession.

This is not to say that White will continue to implement a slow-tempo style. Connecticut had a veteran team last season that, while very talented, was certainly not the fastest in the league.

White indicated in the offseason that she would like to play "with great pace". And to her credit, she has done so before. The Fever finished third in pace in 2016 during White's initial stint with Indiana.

But it does beg questions about the offense moving forward, even when Clark returns.

Clark's elite vision and playmaking allows Indiana to play at an increased tempo and operate freely on offense. Perhaps with Clark and Cunningham sidelined, the Fever simply don't have the roster to play at that pace.

Yet again, a squad with athletic guards like Kelsey Mitchell and Lexie Hull and a talented young big in Aliyah Boston should still be able to run on the fly when the opportunity presents itself.

It's also worth considering what DeWanna Bonner's role looks like once Clark gets back.

In her four games with Clark, Bonner averaged just 2.5 PPG on 12.5% shooting, unable to find her rhythm in a new offensive system. The 37-year-old has looked more like herself the last five games, averaging 10.5 PPG and shooting at a 43.6% clip.

The return of an All-WNBA talent should only prove a benefit. But there's a chance Bonner's spurts of success have been tied to playing at a slower pace, more in line with the system she ran last season under White in Connecticut.

This five-game stretch has put a spotlight on the depth of Indiana's roster.

And there's certainly things to like. Hardship signing Aari McDonald has been a sensation off the bench (though her time with the team is likely limited). Mitchell has flourished offensively and Boston has remained a consistent presence down low. Meanwhile, Hull has been a one-woman force on the defensive end.

That said, there's a striking difference in Indiana's rhythm and ability to create looks offensively that raises some legitimate concerns.

Clark can fix a lot of that simply by being on the court. Whether or not that's enough to make the Fever a true championship contender remains to be seen.