Caitlin Clark has been blunt when asked about her ultimate goal for the Indiana Fever this season: a championship. And when it comes down to it, the Fever has a lot in their favor: the team is the most complete in the WNBA, with talent that can be truly unstoppable if they gel together the right way. No one in the league can shoot off the dribble the way Clark can. In a lot of ways, the Fever's successes on the court will largely come down to how they play together over anything else.
But that doesn't mean that there are not players and teams who can stop Fever dead in their tracks, or least slow them down. When it comes to Caitlin Clark, there are at least two WNBA greats who pose a formidable threat.
Caitlin Clark has to figure out how to get past Jackie Young
If there is one player in the league who figured out Caitlin Clark last season, it's Las Vegas Aces guard Jackie Young. The Fever were 0-4 against the Aces last season, and Clark consistently played disappointing games when Young was guarding her.
Young was nothing short of supportive and stellar in all of her interactions with Clark last year. During a July 2024 game she famously took a second to tie her own shoe after Clark lost her balance at the beginning of a game, a moment that resonated with WNBA fans and analysts alike (including Debbie Antonelli, who shared the moment on X).
Those good vibes didn't stop Young — who was drafted as the No. 1 overall pick by the Aces in 2019 and helped lead NCAA to a national championship — from overtaking Clark again and again each time the teams met. The teams won't meet for the first time this season until June 22, by which time fans will have had plenty of time to assess this new iteraction of the Fever — and whether or not Young will still be able to shut Clark down.
Jonquel Jones is the quiet MVP contender
First and foremost, A'ja Wilson is the greatest player in the WNBA until someone proves that she isn't. If Clark lives up to her own hype (and the hype of fans, broadcasters, reporters, and teammates), she could well be the person who challenges Wilson's claim to the throne... but she isn't the only one.
New York Liberty center Jonquel Jones is a former WNBA MVP, was the Finals MVP last season, and at various points throughout the team's playoff run was the reason they succeeded. If anyone besides Wilson (and Napheesa Collier, let's be real) could stop Clark from claiming MVP this year, it's Jones — whether Fever fans want to hear it or not.