Fever Manage Caitlin Clark’s Return as Aliyah Boston Holds Defensive Core Together

Overview

• The Fever have returned Caitlin Clark to limited game action and are spacing her minutes across back-to-backs so she can rebuild in-game feel after a recurring back issue.
• Clark scored nine in a brief outing before being rested for the second game of a back-to-back, a pattern the team used most recently in the run that produced a 92-89 win at Phoenix.
• Aliyah Boston’s defensive value stands out in league data with Indiana conceding about 0.500 points per possession with her on the court versus 0.547 when she sits, a split analysts say is hard to replace.
• Indiana’s added guard depth and scorers such as Kelsey Mitchell, Sophie Cunningham and Raven Johnson have allowed the Fever to redistribute offense and win games without Clark on the floor.
• The short-term takeaway is the Fever can compete during the regular season without Clark, but analysts warn the team’s playoff ceiling will likely be limited unless Clark returns to form and Boston remains available.