“Fever Play Better With Caitlin Clark on the Bench”: Fans Turn On WNBA Rookie as Indiana’s Struggle Magnifies

A fourth straight loss for Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever. Despite a valiant effort, the home team couldn’t hold on to their nerves in the closing moments of the game and lost 84-88 against the Connecticut Sun. Caitlin Clark did her best as she was instrumental in tying the game at 84 a piece with just 30 seconds left in the penultimate quarter. Unfortunately, the Fever was left empty-handed following Temi Fagbenle’s 2 personal fouls which resulted in 4 free throws. These were converted by Tyasha Harris and Alyssa Thomas respectively.

For another night, Caitlin Clark proved why she was the Fever’s No.1 overall draft pick this season. The two-time national player of the year was in business from the very start by securing 8 points in the opening 10 minutes. But, she couldn’t keep the momentum in the second quarter as she was pointless in the second quarter. Things got worse when a misstep stumbled her on the court resulting in a non-contact injury before half-time.

Consequently, this affected her game when she returned to the hardwood in the third quarter. She was able to register only 2 points before the game headed toward its penultimate section. Herein, she stormed herself back into the game with a go-ahead 3 from the Gainbridge Fieldhouse logo that resulted in a 2-point lead for the home team with 7:15 still to go. Further, she also added 7 points and 5 assists next to her name. Sadly, she couldn’t turn the tides in Indiana’s favor and the spectators had to wait to rejoice in their first victory.

Be that as it may, Clark was able to finish the night with 17 points along with 5 assists and 3 defensive rebounds. In addition to this, she was 5-of-11 in field shots and buried 3 out of her 7 three-pointers. From the free throw line as well, she scored on all her 4 attempts. However. the Indiana Fans are not contented with Caitlin Clark’s efforts. The 6-foot guard received massive backlash on social media after the loss.

Fans not happy with Caitlin Clark despite an impressive show

One of them went on and said that the franchise plays better when Caitlin Clark is benched. This also arrives after Clark dealt with a left knee injury with 5 minutes left in the second quarter and the team went 34-44 by the next. The fan wrote, “Fever are way better when Caitlin Clark on the bench.”

Meanwhile, one fan criticized Clark’s game overall. The Indiana follower pointed out that she needs to improve on moving the ball, for she has struggled with turnovers. The fan expressed, “Caitlin Clark is going to have to improve on moving off the ball. You can tell it’s very new to her. She just sort of stands most of the time.”

Also, some shared videos of what Caitlin Clark does when she doesn’t have a ball in hand. Once again the comment was directed towards the team’s performance when she was not present on the court. One fan expressed, “Caitlin Clark just standing around when the ball is not in her hands and that’s why the team is playing better with her benched.”

The Fever’s No. 0 Kelsey Mitchell had a fantastic time on the court. She registered 17 points and 5 assists which were exactly similar to Caitlin Clark’s numbers while replacing each other through the game. Using this, one fan opined that this was enough to turn Clark’s supporters into Mitchell’s fans. The X user wrote, “People tuning in for Caitlin Clark are about to be Kelsey Mitchell fans.”

Many have drawn similarities between Caitlin Clark with Steph Curry. Probably because of their immaculate ability to land three-pointers at ease. One basketball fanatic was quick to point out the difference between these two ballers. The comment was, “Caitlin Clark stands around so much. Never call her Steph curry again. Steph is in constant motion. Every possession, Clark kills the offense.”

Not the result that Indiana fans were hoping for. Still, it was a brave effort by the entire squad giving Connecticut a run for their money. It will be enthralling to see what the franchise has to offer against Seattle.