Caitlin Clark is the face of the Indiana Fever. She is the player everything revolves around—both on and off the court. That comes with a lot of pressure, but Clark has embraced the challenge.
As a rookie, she led the Fever in points and assists per game, carrying the team to the playoffs alongside Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell. Putting up great numbers is what franchise players need to do. Clark has already shown her ability to do that at a high level. Filling up the score sheet is not all a franchise player should do, however. Ideally, franchise players are also great leaders.
The 2025 season will be a chance for Clark to take the next step in that area.
Caitlin Clark is on the right track to becoming a great leader
Caitlin Clark may only be entering her second WNBA season, but her leadership has already grown in training camp. Veteran Natasha Howard noted during a training camp media availability that she believed Clark would soon be in a category with legends Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi when it comes to her leadership.
That is incredibly high praise for a young player, and Clark seems determined to make it reality. During the Fever’s WNBA season launch press conference, she was asked about her individual goals for the 2025 season. Becoming a better leader was at the top of the list.
“I think for myself going into year two, I think just being a good leader,” Clark said. “When you’re the point guard, you've got to be the strongest voice on the floor. So, I think that at times, that’s where I struggled last year.”
Between the growth she has shown in training camp and her determination to continue working on her leadership, Clark is on the right track to become an even better franchise player for the Fever.
Caitlin Clark will have plenty of veteran help during the 2025 season
While Clark wants to take on a bigger leadership role during the 2025 season, she won’t have to do it all by herself. Clark will be surrounded by plenty of veterans who can help her find her leadership voice and offer their experiences.
Three players on the Fever’s roster have at least ten years of WNBA experience. DeWanna Bonner has 15 years of experience, Natasha Howard has been in the league for 11 years, and Sydney Colson has been around for ten years.
So, Clark will have players around her she can lean on to share the leadership burden. Actually, the only players on the roster with less WNBA experience than Clark are rookie Makayla Timpson and Jaelyn Brown, who only appeared in 14 games with the Dallas Wings in her rookie season. However, that does not mean that Clark can’t emerge as an improved leader this season.