The Indiana Fever dropped their final game before the All-Star break, despite Caitlin Clark breaking multiple records. This is not the team that lost eight of their first nine games. The Fever have arguably the best playmaker in the league and two All-Stars flanking her. Indiana is a dangerous team with flaws.
When everything is rolling, the Fever can compete with anyone. Since June 30, they picked up four wins over teams above them in the standings and just one loss. Indiana also dropped winnable contests against the Mystics and Wings, the two worst teams in the league.
Their flaws were on full display in the July 17 loss in Dallas, and head coach Christie Sides called them out postgame. She knows the Fever must improve in those two areas if they want to make the playoffs and have any shot at contention.
Defense and turnovers are massive issues for the Fever
Sides opened her postgame presser by answering what cost her team in the game, which fans can read below.
"I think turnovers. When you give up 28 points off turnovers, you take all that away. And we just have to be better defensively, especially to start. We gave up 27 in the first and second quarters. We just have to be better with that, but to me, it is the turnovers. 28 points off our turnovers, you just don’t give yourself a shot."
For all her greatness, Clark has already set the record for most turnovers in a WNBA season. The Fever have only played 26 of their 40 regular season contests, and Clark is not the only one giving the ball away. Indiana has committed 400 turnovers already and is the near bottom of the league in that category.
The Fever are 11th of 12 in defensive rating and allow 108.2 points per 100 possessions. Winning is difficult without getting stops. They have a young roster, but the worst defense in the league rarely makes the postseason. Caitlin Clark and her teammates must lock in on this end of the floor if they want a serious shot at consistently winning against the top competition.
The Fever head into the Olympic break in seventh in the standings. They are three games ahead of the Dream for the final playoff spot. Every win matters for the Indiana Fever and cleaning up their weaknesses would help their odds. Expect it to be a focus over the break, and there must be improvement if they want to be in the playoffs for the first time since 2016.