With Caitlin Clark Ready to Step Up, Coach Christie Sides Addresses Veteran Kelsey Mitchell’s Injury Status

The Fever is truly entering a different era. Despite being a rather young team, they have made their name resound in the last season. Majorly, because of their leading scorer Kelsey Mitchell. This time around, they are coming in with even more force as the No. 0 in the Fever joins forces with NCAA’s leading scorer Caitlin Clark. With yet another pair that Christie Sides can rely on, this season is bringing back-to-back great news for the team.

Talking about how Mitchell’s possible return to the team, Sides said, “Just excited about what it’s gonna look like. I mean we’ve had some moments at practice where Kelsey is just an explosion. Yesterday, she made a pass to Caitlin and Caitlin just wasn’t even ready, it happened so fast. Katie Lou had one where Kelsey was driving hard base line and she was just so fast. She got on top of them before she even knew who’s coming.”

Christie Sides also spoke on what the star performer’s return to the team could entail. Complementing the offensive athlete, she said, “Kelsey just brings a whole different dynamic and speed to this game. So, it’s just gonna take some time to get used to what she does and put it all together.”

However, whether the 5-ft-8 guard will play in the regular season opener will depend on Todd Champlin, Indiana’s long-time athletic trainer. But if she does, she will be quite a force to reckon with for Fever’s opponents.

How will the Kelsey Mitchell and Caitlin Clark duo change Fever’s image in the WNBA?

Caitlin Clark is definitely a blessing for her team and a bane for her opponents. Even after entering into a new space where she definitely gets more tougher competition than college basketball, she has consistently added double-digit points for her team in the preseason. On top of this, she has also delivered impressive assists and grabbed rebounds. While she may not be getting much space to bucket some three-pointers till now, adding Micthell will change the scenery a bit.

Commenting on her possible return tomorrow against the Sun, Mitchell said, “I feel really, really great, but for me it’s making sure I’m being professional on and off the floor, making sure I’m listening to my doctors, listening to the proper protocol just to make sure I’m getting everything that I need going into the beginning of the season.”

Currently, everyone is focused on keeping Clark locked, as NaLyssa Smith mentioned earlier this week while talking about the rookie’s efficiency. Hence, with Kelsey Mitchell on the floor, the opponents will have more people to guard. Moreover, both Clark and Micthell are amazing from beyond the arc with the vet’s accuracy being 39.8% from the three-point line last season. On the other hand, Clark adds more to it by bringing an average of 37.8% from the three at Iowa. Combining the two will be quite troublesome for the opposing teams.