Fever vs. Liberty preseason takeaways: First looks at Caitlin Clark, New York’s bigs

Despite a certain level of synergy both teams had coming into the season, they are each far from final form: Neither team’s roster is finalized yet and both had lengthy injury reports.

Here are four takeaways from Saturday’s preseason game.

Caitlin Clark’s quiet return

Clark said ahead of Saturday’s game that she expected to play between 20 and 25 minutes. She ended up logging just 17 minutes, finishing with 7 points while shooting 20 percent from the field.

Fever coach Stephanie White said Clark’s shot-making will come.

“We’ve got to find ways to free her up and get her some easy looks,” White said.

The two-time All-Star talked through the first week of training camp about how new teammates like Raven Johnson and Tyasha “Ty” Harris would allow her to play more off the ball. But she emphasized Saturday that she will be leading the Fever’s offense with the ball in her hands more often than not.

“We want to play in transition,” Clark said. “And we want to play with a lot of pace. We want to outlet to the near guard. If that’s not me, I need to get down the court, and that allows people to come screen for me and get open. It also makes the other team get cross-matched.

“You’re going to see a good variation of both, but I’m going to be the primary ball handler, that’s never going to change.”

Saturday wasn’t Clark’s first game action since last season. She made her USA basketball senior national team debut in March at the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup qualifying tournament in Puerto Rico. Clark was named MVP of the tournament and led the national team to a 5-0 tournament record while averaging 11.6 points and 6.4 assists.

Still, her return to the WNBA came with heightened emotions. White said Clark’s joy is what’s been most noticeable through the preseason thus far.

“Her energy is different,” White said. “She’s carrying herself in a different way. You started to see it a little bit at USA basketball and then in training camp. You could tell she was a little bit itchy and antsy before training camp started. Then, day one of training camp, it was like, ‘I can just breathe and I can play. I can enjoy playing the game again.’”

Raven Johnson shines in debut

One piece of advice from South Carolina coach Dawn Staley echoed in Johnson’s mind Saturday afternoon as she logged her first WNBA minutes.

“When your number is called, be ready,” Staley said.

Johnson heeded that advice, starting with training camp. She came in Day 1 displaying attention to detail and asking questions of her veterans, which she said instilled confidence in her when she took the court in New York. She finished the game with 6 points, eight assists, three rebounds and two blocked shots.

The two-time NCAA champion is a known commodity on the defensive end with her “’Go Go Gadget’ arms,” as White called them. White acknowledged her room to grow on offense.

“She’s going to learn on the offensive end,” White said. “Learn what we’re looking to get out of certain actions, how to create the matchups that we want and how to create advantage. It’s different than in college, and she’s a sponge.”

Mitchell and newly-signed vet Shatori Walker-Kimbrough each pitched in 18 points for the Fever’s offense, giving Johnson extra breathing room.

New York’s ‘jumbo’ lineup

Han Xu was drafted 14th overall by the Liberty in 2019 and played stints with the team across three seasons. She opted to spend the last two playing exclusively overseas before returning to New York this year on a training-camp contract, which equates to a one-year deal at the applicable minimum salary ($277,500 for players between one and three years of service, which is where Han falls).

At 6-foot-11, Han is the tallest active player in the league, giving the Liberty the capacity to terrorize in the frontcourt. First-year head coach Chris DeMarco introduced his supersized lineup with Han, Stewart and Jones in the second quarter.

“It was funny because me and Caitlin were checking in at the same time, and she was like, ‘Man, that big lineup for you guys is massive,’” Jones said. “I was like, ‘Yeah, man, once we get more comfortable with it, I think it can be really good for us.’”

Han logged 22 minutes, finishing with 20 points while shooting 60 percent from the field. Stewart had 16 points in just under 12 minutes of play, and Jones added 4 points and six rebounds. Stewart and Jones both sat out the entire second half.

Key absences

Both teams were without several players, including presumptive starters.

The Liberty’s newest addition, Satou Sabally, was a late scratch after being listed as questionable Friday as she ramps up her conditioning levels. Leonie Fiebich is another potential starter for the Liberty who was unavailable Saturday as she completes her overseas commitments with Valencia Basket Club in Spain.

Rebecca Allen and Marine Fauthoux were both out as they, similar to Sabally, work back to full conditioning. Pauline Astier, Raquel Carrera and Ugonne Onyiah are not yet with the team.

On the Fever’s side, Boston was out as she recovers from a lower leg injury. Lexie Hull (hamstring) and Harris (knee) were also unavailable Saturday. White said Boston and Hull both would have played had it been a regular-season game.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

New York Liberty, Indiana Fever, WNBA

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