Caitlin Clark's Fever get rude awakening in first WNBA power ranking

"The good news for the Fever is that their big three combined for 73 points," wrote ESPN's Michael Voepel. "The bad news is that wasn't enough to evade a 107-104 loss to visiting Dallas, which shot 59% from the field. Indiana will need to show improvement on defense."

Last season, the Fever ranked seventh out of 13 teams in defensive efficiency, or points allowed per 100 possessions.

While that was a marked improvement from previous seasons -- Indiana had not ranked higher than seventh in defensive rating since 2016 -- that ranking probably isn't good enough to reach the WNBA Finals, where the Fever haven't played in 11 years.

No one should doubt Clark and company's ability to produce elite numbers offensively. It's the other side of the ball where concerns will continue to grow if the Fever don't respond Wednesday against the Los Angeles Sparks.

More WNBA news:

• Stephanie White’s honest Raven Johnson assessment said a lot about the Fever rookie
• Wings’ Azzi Fudd gets bad news about joining Dallas’ starting lineup
• Sky's DiJonai Carrington claps back at rumors while she isn't playing for Chicago
• Kate Martin reacts to Valkyries departure in unexpected move for former Caitlin Clark teammate