When one sees Caitlin Clark jumping fearlessly to take shots from even beyond her records, one can instantly be reminded of Steph Curry. Curry’s heroics even urge the likes of LeBron James to say, “Like, ‘How the hell he make that?’” Yet, when you see the Warriors lose after he has drilled 38 points on 24 shots, including eight 3s, with six assists, you can see it as clear as day. The burden on Curry was just too much. The same is the case for Clark, who is revolutionizing women’s basketball. It was clear last season, and it was feared this year as Indiana prepares for a 44-game regular season. Thankfully, Stephanie White understood the stakes early on.

After that tough playoff loss to the Connecticut Sun, the Fever wasted no time. They got in some big names to shore up their defense. And most importantly, Caitlin Clark finally got some guard depth as well. Sydney Colson and Sophie Cunningham were brought in to share the load. Last year, she was logging close to 40 minutes a night. That’s wild. No rookie should have to carry that kind of load. But now? Things are looking up. The results speak for themselves. Wins over the Washington Mystics, Brazil’s National Team, and the Atlanta Dream in preseason show that the changes are already paying off. Now, while Clark still fired off her signature step-backs and pull-ups, Sydney Colson matched her with a game-high five assists against Brazil, showing that playmaking is now more of a shared effort.

Shedding light on how White’s offseason goal to lighten her star player’s offensive load is being realised, Sabreena Merchant on the No Offseason: The Athletic Women’s Basketball Show said, “Clark had such an enormous offensive burden last season for the Indiana Fever. So if you think about how you get her more energy on the defensive end, some of it is just lessening what she has to do on offense.”

And that’s exactly what we’ve seen so far. Lexie Hull and Sophie Cunningham have stepped up big time, and that’s great news for Caitlin Clark. Hull made the most of her 23 minutes off the bench against the Atlanta Dream. She poured in 11 of her 14 total points in the fourth quarter alone, leading the team in scoring. She went 6-of-12 from the field, grabbed five boards, and handed out four assists. Then there’s Sophie Cunningham, who absolutely lit it up against the Mystics. She dropped a game-high 21 points, grabbed eight rebounds, dished out two assists, and finished with a +16 on the floor. A statement performance. These two have shown they can take some weight off the Indiana superstar’s shoulders.

Sabreena didn’t stop there. She also pointed out how the Connecticut Sun, under coach Stephanie White, were ranked number 1 or 2 in defense over the past two seasons. That’s coaching! And now, with DeWanna Bonner coming over from the Sun, that same defensive grit could rub off on Indiana. Last season, defense wasn’t exactly the Fever’s strong suit. But this year? It’s looking like a different story. On paper, Indiana seems to have all the pieces. Star power. Veteran leadership. Depth. Defense. Everything you need to go after a title.

Stephanie White also gave Caitlin Clark her flowers for the work she put in over the offseason. Let’s check out what she had to say.

Stephanie White highlights Caitlin Clark’s growth this offseason

Any team with Caitlin Clark on it is automatically must-watch. But let’s be real—last season, she had a tough time adjusting to the W’s physicality. So, what did she do? She hit the gym. Hard. She’s been working all offseason to bulk up and get stronger. Remember that Iowa game photo that went viral? Yeah—the one where her triceps were doing all the talking? That wasn’t just for show.

Coach White had high praise for CC and said, “She is stronger, first and foremost. She’s got a lot of self-awareness. She figured out right away: I need to get stronger, I can’t get knocked around as much. She’s done a great job of getting in the weight room and focusing on her strength, in terms of low center of gravity, time under tension.”

Now, Clark did not have this luxury last year as she was thrown into the WNBA 38 days after her college game. And no one has any doubts regarding the fact that she was the anchor in Iowa, too. In that grueling 39-game season, she again played nearly every minute of every game and led the country in scoring and assists. So, when she came to where everything is faster and stronger, it is understandable why she couldn’t adapt that well. “Everybody’s all over me, they’re hounding me 94 feet,” Clark had said. “I’m being trapped on every ball screen, getting blocked on every stagger screen.”

So, as Sabreena also pointed out in that podcast how Caitlin Clark’s offseason work was focused on giving it back and handling those double teams better. Remember when Clark chose to skip Unrivaled to focus on her body? Well, those results are starting to show. It’ll be really interesting to see how Year 2 of the Caitlin Clark era plays out.