2026 hasn’t been the hoped-for improvement for Caitlin Clark after last year’s injury-plagued season. One reason is rough treatment from opponents; another is Coach Stephanie White, who hasn’t used her in a way that fully fits her game.
The Fever star is frustrated. It showed in last week’s 88-75 loss to the Golden State Valkyries when she lashed out at the ref over a missed foul call, and also ignored her head coach’s acknowledgment.
Calling out a ref is one thing. The “coach” thing is another. White hasn’t been happy with her star’s defense, and Clark hasn’t been satisfied with how her coach has used her. Clark can’t seem to adapt to White’s structured offense, and White doesn’t seem willing to adapt to Clark’s skills.
At this point, it’s fair to wonder if this partnership can and should continue.
Clark loves to shoot. It’s her strength. The problem is White wants her to play off Kelsey Mitchell, meaning she should feed the ball to Mitchell. It just hasn’t seemed to work for Clark, which explains why her numbers haven’t matched expectations, such as scoring 40 points against the Storm on Friday night.
Photo courtesy MARCA
Sure, management may seek this as a “pick ’em” game, and choose to relieve White. But the better option may be for Clark to get a fresh start with the goal of having her do what she does best. That’s what fans look for. It’s the main reason she is a star.
In Indiana, though, there have been times this season when Clark doesn’t get the ball down the stretch. In the Fever’s 83-75 loss to the New York Liberty on June 6, for example, Clark took only one shot late. To me, that’s inexcusable.
For whatever reason, White trusts Mitchell more, even though she’s as much of a streaky shooter as Clark is. It’s the coach’s job to have Mitchell and Clark play off each other. It’s what she was hired to do.
When Clark went down for the season, White managed to succeed by running the offense she preferred, and she has been stubborn about not adapting to Clark’s skills. In her way, she feels it’s Clark’s job to adapt. It doesn’t work that way with star athletes, especially with a talent like Clark.
It would be bad enough if that storyline applied to Clark only, but it doesn’t. Aliyah Boston is another example.
Let’s face it: Clark is a star, and she has made headlines in college and the WNBA because of her shooting. That’s what fans want to see, but except for a game here and there, that’s not happening. Outside of the 45-point outburst against Settle last Friday, her productivity in the other four most recent games is pedestrian: 17, 13, 12, and 9 points.
Shake the Fever, Caitlin.
