Caitlin Clark claims she is the WNBA's best transition player as the Indiana Fever prepare for the upcoming season. The Fever plan to manage her workload after a challenging previous season marked by injuries.
Key points
Caitlin Clark claims to be the WNBA's best transition player
Indiana Fever plans to manage her workload for the upcoming season
Fever faced injuries to six players last season
Fever nearly reached the Finals despite challenges
The Indiana Fever held their annual media day on Wednesday ahead of the 2026 WNBA season, which will get underway in just over two weeks. On May 9, the Fever will host the Dallas Wings in a highly anticipated season-opener that will feature the last four No. 1 picks: Aliyah Boston (2023), Caitlin Clark (2024), Paige Bueckers (2025), and Azzi Fudd (2026).
In many ways, last season did not go to plan for the Fever. They lost six players to season-ending injuries, including Clark, and saw DeWanna Bonner depart under unceremonious circumstances in the middle of the campaign. And yet, despite all their health issues, they were five minutes away from a trip to the Finals. Had Kelsey Mitchell not left the winner-take-all Game 5 of the semifinals with rhabdomyolysis, they may have knocked out the Las Vegas Aces.
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Here's the full comment, which came amid a discussion about finding the balance between her on-ball and off-ball usage:
"I think I'm the best transition player in the league," Clark said. "That's where I thrive. Everybody knows that's my game. So, getting the ball off a rebound in transition, that's probably when I'm going to be a primary ball handler more than anything."
Clark's comment has created plenty of buzz, but it's accurate. When she grabs a rebound and takes off the other way, the opposing defense is immediately in panic mode. No one in the league can match her threat as both a playmaker and shooter, or her combination of volume and efficiency.
As a rookie, Clark averaged a league-leading 7.3 transition possessions plus assists per game and generated 1.290 points per possession plus assists. Last season, even though she was never 100% healthy, Clark again led the league in transition possessions plus assists per game (6.5), and generated 1.365 points per possession plus assists.
— WNBA Clips & Highlights (@WNBAPlayerWatch) August 19, 2024
A more experienced and fully healthy Clark should be even better on the break this season, which is bad news for the rest of the league.
Clark, Johnson haven't spoken about Final Four moment
During Iowa's upset win over South Carolina in the 2023 Final Four, Clark went viral for dismissively waving off Raven Johnson instead of guarding her when the then-Gamecocks point guard had the ball at the top of the key. Johnson, who got revenge on Clark and the Hawkeyes during the 2024 NCAA national championship game, has admitted that she struggled to deal with that moment.
"I was all over the internet," Johnson said on the "I Am Next" podcast last month. "That's one reason I hate the internet now, because of that situation. I got bashed. I got bullied. I got called all these things that I wasn't -- aka, like a monkey. … It was just things like that, and I just thought I wanted to quit basketball at that time. I wanted to go in this little bubble of isolation and just be by myself."
[One question for every WNBA team: Caitlin Clark's health, Azzi Fudd's fit, Angel Reese's impact and more
Clark and Johnson are now teammates after the Fever selected Johnson with the 10th overall pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft, and Johnson said Wednesday that Clark has been a big resource to her early in training camp.
"It's fun to learn from the vets here, they definitely make sure I get the plays," Johnson said. "Yesterday they were just throwing plays at me and I'm like, 'Oh gosh, jeez, they run a lot of plays.' But Caitlin Clark, she was helping me through all the hard times, she was helping me... I asked her probably like a thousand questions yesterday."
However, the Final Four moment has not been broached, and Johnson isn't interested in looking back.
"No, we haven't [discussed the incident]," Johnson said. "I think that's in the past, honestly. We're teammates now and we have one goal, that's to win a championship."
Fever plan to ease Clark's burden
Clark was limited to 13 games last season due to an array of lower-body injuries, and the Fever are already putting measures in place to try to ensure she stays healthy this summer.
Earlier this month, coach Stephanie White said the team would monitor her workload during camp. "She doesn't have to be out there every rep, just being mindful of reps," White said. Though Clark, who was named MVP of the FIBA Women's World Cup Qualifying Tournament in Puerto Rico last month, is now fully healthy, she understands the approach. "I think it's just being smart. No need to overdo it at this point," Clark said Sunday.
Once the season begins, the Fever will also try to manage Clark's on-court responsibilities by giving her more off-ball reps.
"It is exhausting, bringing the ball up 94 feet versus pressure every single time," Clark said Wednesday. "So, we certainly need to find somebody that can handle the ball a little bit and give me a little bit of a break."
Clark was third in the league in usage rate last season (31.5%) and ninth as a rookie (27.7%), and has been fouled 233 times in 55 total games with the Fever, including both the regular season and playoffs. As a rookie, Clark's 175 fouls taken were fifth in the league, and White has previously noted that the physicality teams use against her was a "factor" in her health issues.
The Fever want to make Clark's life easier on a night-to-night basis, which is part of the reason they drafted Johnson.
"[Johnson] can alleviate some pressure with Caitlin having to bring the ball [up]," White said Wednesday. "Look at the way the teams play her, 94 feet all the time. Again, how do we find ways to rest her on the floor? It's having somebody else bring the ball up, initiate offense, and then get Caitlin into action, in the second or third action, or the second or third side."
The challenge with that, of course, is ensuring that Clark actually gets touches when she doesn't bring the ball up the floor.
