“Unnecessary”: Caitlin Clark, Fever Teammate Put on Notice Over Lingering Problems in WNBA Analyst’s Unfiltered Observation 

It’s scary to think this Indiana Fever offense has not found its best rhythm yet. They are currently third in the league with 90 points per game and lead everyone in overall pace. Still, their offense has struggled to click over multiple stretches in the last few games. If you were to ask WNBA analyst Rachel DeMita, she believes it all comes down to the group’s two stars — Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell.

“Mitchell has a habit of dribbling a lot, sometimes over-dribbling,” DeMita said on her podcast, Courtside Club. “She’s very quick, and she can speed through. There’s many a times she drives the lane, she doesn’t have anything, and she’s able to weave in and out and pull the ball back. That’s all great. But I do think sometimes it’s a lot of unnecessary dribbling because Kelsey is so quick. She gets from point A to point B so quickly that she doesn’t always need all the unnecessary dribbles.”

Kelsey Mitchell would certainly be one of the most creative shot makers in the league. Whether it is cutting through the defense to create space for an uncontested layup or scoring on a fast break, Mitchell simply knows what she is doing — until she finds a defender staring her right in the face.

In such cases, she would continue to dribble instead of sharing the rock with the team, which her 2.5 assists per game reflect. This habit often also ends up in a steal, a turnover, or runs the shot clock out for the entire five on the floor. So, when the shot is falling, it all looks great, but it shifts to the opposite extreme when they are not. However, she isn’t the only Fever guard DeMita had notes on.

“Then on the flip side, Caitlin Clark, I think, could do a better job moving without the ball,” DeMita added. “Caitlin Clark will pass and then she kind of just stays in one spot. I want to see her move a little bit more.

“That makes the defense shift because whoever’s guarding Caitlin Clark is right here with her. They’re not going to give her much space. But I think if she moved more off the ball, and she will go and call for the ball if the play starts to get mocked up and try to get it back.”

The biggest help, apart from scoring and assisting, that Clark brings to the Fever is her space-creating abilities. She is face-guarded the whole time, and as soon as she has the ball in her hands, double-teams are not surprising. This leaves her teammates open for easy shots. But Clark can always step up.

One way to do it would be to continue confusing the defenders so she gets more players on her and creates space for her teammates, even if she doesn’t have the ball. She would become a literal moving threat if that happens. And we have one of the best examples of this.

The game-winning logo-3 against the Washington Mystics on Monday night exemplifies what Clark can do if she continues to move off the ball, too. The Mystics defended Clark, who was originally standing right outside the paint, thinking that Sophie Cunningham would put the ball in her hands. Just then, the point guard ran to the logo for a 31-ft shot for the win with no one guarding her. The Mystics gambled for a steal and left their home court with a loss instead. That’s all Clark needs to continue doing. However, it is understandable why she might need time to adjust.

Last season was the first time that head coach Stephanie White started giving Clark off-ball roles. However, she was mostly riding the pine due to various injuries. Before that, she had always been a ball-heavy point guard. So, while she needs to improve her movements and maximize her gravity off the ball, these are tweaks that will always need work.

For now, having already lost to the New York Liberty, the chances of the Fever defending their Commissioner’s Cup seem low. However, if the Liberty loses to at least two teams in the upcoming stretch, Indy could return to the Commissioner’s Cup Finals. But that will depend on how they perform moving ahead.

The Fever wants to set the bar high and compete among the best. And if they manage to get this offense going, this team will be the contender everybody expected it to be. 

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