Caitlin Clark has cut a frustrated figure at times during her sophomore season.
Clark has been frustrated at times this season, battling against injuries and rivalsGettyThe Indiana Fever star has missed her last two games through injury, having only just returned from a left quad injury that held her out for five before that.
When she’s on the court, the WNBA’s biggest draw is often targeted by her rivals.
In a clash with the Connecticut Sun earlier this month, Clark suffered treatment so rough that teammate Sophie Cunningham was forced to step in to ‘protect her’ — establishing herself as the league’s newest enforcer in the process.
Amid all the noise, and the frustration of a stop-start season that recently boiled over as she watched from the sidelines, the 23-year-old also finds herself in a 3-point shooting slump.
In the last three games she’s played, Clark has shot 1-for-23 from deep, a stark contrast from the dazzling logo 3s and long-range buckets WNBA fans have come to expect from the Fever star.
Her six-point performance in Tuesday’s win against the Seattle Storm was a season low, and across nine games so far this season, she is shooting 29.5% from deep, the lowest of her career extending back to her college days at Iowa.
Given the incredible highs Clark hit in her rookie season, which saw her smash record after record, Indiana’s star has drawn plenty of attention amid a sophomore slump.
But WNBA legend Sue Bird believes there’s a simple fix, and it comes from one of the Fever’s new arrivals.
Speaking after watching Indiana beat Seattle, the 13-time All-Star pointed out that Clark is tasked with creating her own shot on nearly every possession.
“One thing I noticed, is that it would be really beneficial for her if she had players around her who could create shots for her,” Bird said on her Bird’s Eye View podcast.
“She has to create a lot of her own shots, but she’s also creating for her teammates, and there are times where if she could just get some open looks off other people’s play, it could be really beneficial to her.
Clark has provided assists for her teammates, but the favor has not been returnedGetty Clark has shot 1-of-23 from beyond the arc in her recent gamesGetty“That’s where Aari McDonald might have some impact.”
Indiana announced the signing of guard McDonald last week, after she previously featured in three games via the WBNA’s emergency hardship exception.
Announcing the move, general manager Amber Cox praised the 26-year-old’s impact ‘as a playmaker and a defender’ in the few Fever games that she played — something that has apparently been missing in recent weeks.
Now, with McDonald back on the team, the blueprint for success has been laid out, and Clark could soon find a way out of her slump.
The Fever will certainly hope that’s the case, given they are 8-8 on the season so far.
Indiana did secure a 94-86 win against the Dallas Wings last time out, even without the injured Clark.
Clark has been sidelined from the last two Fever gamesGETTYBut they will still be desperate to get their star on the court, and will need her back for the Commissioner’s Cup Championship clash with the Western Conference-leading Minnesota Lynx on Tuesday night.
Head coach Stephanie White has insisted Clark is still ‘day-to-day’ and should make her return soon.
“Anybody who’s had some of these types of injuries understands that sometimes it’s a process,” White said prior to Friday’s game against Dallas.
“She’s a quick healer, and she’s been doing everything she can to get back on the floor.
“We just want to make sure we’re hyper-sensitive to the big picture.”
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