Stephanie White has made it clear she has a big goal for the Fever and, more specifically, Caitlin Clark this season: finding more ways to play Clark off the ball.
The idea has been met with enthusiasm from fans, but also with a little confusion: if Clark isn't on the ball, who exactly will be?
While a lot will be revealed soon (team members are reporting to training camp by April 27 and preseason games begin in early May), that hasn't stopped a lot of people wondering what such a scenario could look like.
Caitlin Clark will probably not be off the ball that much
Despite White's stated objective, it's unlikely Clark will be off the ball more than a handful of possessions each game. She's a fantastic initiator and runs the court for the Fever — she's crucial to the team's offensive game. But getting Clark off the ball will be a really fun switch up for the team and for fans, especially since this year's roster is stacked with 3-point shooters.
One scenario could see 2-time WNBA champion DeWanna Bonner bringing the ball down court and either kicking it to someone else or firing threes herself. That's an offensive strategy that most WNBA teams will struggle to contend with (even if they begin preparing for it right now). Another option is in Clark's teammate Kelsey Mitchell, who gave her the most assists of anyone on the court last year.
Caitlin Clark has a lot of collegiate experience playing off the ball
If Stephanie White does lean all the way into this new plan, it will only be great for Clark's continuing growth in the WNBA, and it will be a throwback of sorts to her collegiate career at Iowa. Though it's hard to imagine it now, Lisa Bluder often created pockets of downtime for Clark on the court by playing her off the ball, and it's possible that's part of White's strategy here.
If anyone knows this more than most, it's White herself. Though she wasn't coaching Clark at the time, she was definitely doing commentary for a lot of her college games, and as a result had plenty of opportunities to watch Clark cook. If she thinks Caitlin Clark can dominate off the ball, then it's up to fans to simply trust her.
The beginning of the Fever's season will likely be more of the same: other teams deploying intense defensive strategies to rattle Clark. Of course, any double-teaming will just open up the door for Bonner, Natasha Howard, Mitchell, and Aliyah Boston — and from the sounds of it, that's music to the Fever's collective ears.