When the Indiana Fever stepped foot on the court on Sunday, they didn’t foresee that a humiliating loss waited for them. The Fever has made it to the WNBA playoffs for the first time since 2016, hence, fans were expecting a strong gameplay from their side, in order to make the most of the opportunity. However, the Indiana-based franchise got off to a slow start, trailing by 8 points by halftime. Next, when the Fever came back after the break, they had almost lost their brilliant chemistry. The Connecticut Sun kept on piling points from one end, as the Fever couldn’t keep up with the pace. The result of which was that they lost their game 1 of the 2024 Playoffs. However, amid such distressing news, a new ray of hope has emerged for Caitlin Clark & Co.

According to an Indiana-based writer Scott Agness, Kelly Krauskopf will soon be back to the Fever as president of basketball and business operations. “News: Kelly Krauskopf, the original architect of the Indiana Fever, is returning to the franchise as president of basketball and business operations. She had been assistant GM of the Pacers since Dec. 2018. This is significant,” Agness tweeted on Monday.

Krauskopf had joined Pacers Sports & Entertainment in 1999, and since then she had a vital role to play in the organization. Performing her best and making significant moves for the Pacers, she served as the general manager for the Fever from 1999 to 2017. Taking note of her brilliant work, the Texas-born was promoted to the position of President in 2012, the same season when the Fever won their only Championship title.

It would also surprise fans that the now playoff-hungry Fever had once made it to the elimination series eight consecutive times during Krauskopf’s job with the Fever. However, in 2017, the Texas A&M-alum decided to move to Pacer’s eSports team in the NBA 2K League. And hence, her homecoming marks a watershed moment in the Fever’s pursuit of the title. As for Sunday’s game, many opine that Clark’s inability to shoot threes led to the loss.

Caitlin Clark blamed for the Indiana Fever’s loss

There is no denying that Clark has been the powerhouse behind the Fever’s success this season. The drafting of the number one rookie has resulted in rejuvenating the spirits of Aliyah Boston, Lexie Hull, and Kelsey Mitchell. Hence on Sunday, when Clark took a backseat, the Fever suffered. The Iowa-alum tried her best to nail three-pointers but failed to do so consistently. This resulted in the Fever finding it difficult to match pace with the Sun and ultimately lost the game.

Clark during the game tried 13 three-pointers but could only score in 2 of them. Thus, her inefficiency cost the Fever 33 points which could have been the difference in the 93-69 game margin. After the game, a lot of fans took to X to slam the 22-year-old for her poor display. Even during the press conference, Clark admitted that though her shots were good, they couldn’t land on the spot, depriving the Fever of crucial points.

Hence, when the Fever takes court on Tuesday in game 2 against the Sun, fans would be expecting a better display from Clark & Co. Even Clark herself would want to defeat the Sun, lest they suffer a clean sweep. Perhaps, the news of Krauskopf joining them could be the game-changer here.