It's not a secret that Caitlin Clark isn't having the kind of sophomore season many hoped for (and that likely includes Clark herself). After a much-hyped preseason filled with exciting acquisitions and talk of a championship season, the Fever have seen the departure of DeWanna Bonner and dual injuries of Sophie Cunningham and Clark, causing the pair to miss five games and ten games, respectively.
On top of that, the Fever is struggling in an area that is central to Clark's game: pacing is slow, and that means the engine can't quite start running.
The problems with the team's pacing might be due to a few factors. First and foremost, it's worth noting that the Connecticut Sun were last in the league in terms of pacing when coached by Stephanie White last season, and her style of coaching might call for a slower game. That's a topic that has been raised by fans all season, particularly after the Fever have suffered losses.
(For comparison's sake, the Fever ended the 2024 season second in terms of pace at 97.54).
The Fever need to make changes
Right now, the frustrating reality is that the Fever sits in the middle of the league in a lot of key ways. Despite Friday's win over the Dream, the team is sitting on the championship bubble at 8th in the league. The Fever is also 8th in terms of pacing. Last season the Fever had a 98.68 pace after the Olympic break and a 109.6 offensive rating, and this season pace is down to 95.25 and the offensive rating is 105.5
So, in short: something needs to change.
Coach White has been open about making changes to how the Fever plays, including keeping Clark off the ball and running the offense through her teammates. Those changes could make Clark a stronger player in the long run, but for many fans, they're holding Clark back and keeping the Fever stuck in a win-loss-win-loss cycle.
It should be noted that Clark has missed half of the team's games so far, but the pacing issue has persisted even with her on the floor. Spacing has been a consistent problem for the Fever, something that becomes more pronounced with Clark, who thinks quickly on her feet and can make split-second moves that might intimidate others (or simply go over their heads). Problems arise when her teammates aren't quite ready for a pass or haven't set the appropriate screens, making it more difficult for her to facilitate the ball.
If Clark is going to flourish the way she needs to, the team's pace has to pick up — and that might call for something drastic.