Fever are ‘more dangerous’ without Caitlin Clark, ESPN analyst boldly argues

One ESPN analyst stirred the pot on “SportsCenter” after the Fever’s win on Thursday.

And it was yet another without the injured Caitlin Clark.

Carolyn Peck claimed that the Fever are actually “more dangerous” without their star guard.

“I think that Indiana is even more dangerous when Caitlin Clark doesn’t play because she’s a ball-dominant guard,” she said. “The ball’s in her hands a lot, so you know what you need to try to take away. But when you look at Indiana now, they’ve got so many weapons.” 

The Fever improved to 9-8 following their stunning 81-54 rout of the Aces despite Clark’s absence.

Indiana’s other star in the backcourt — Kelsey Mitchell — netted 25 points, a team-high, on 9-of-18 shooting with four made 3-pointers on six attempts from deep.

Indiana also topped the Minnesota Lynx 74-59 in the Commissioner’s Cup Final without Clark.

“When you have a point guard like Kelsey Mitchell, and Aari McDonald making plays on the perimeter, and a post like Aliyah Boston, I’m gonna tell you: Indiana, they are a threat. And it’s specifically on the defensive end,” Peck said.

With Clark, the Fever are 5–4, averaging an 85.0 offensive rating.

Without Clark, Indiana has posted a 5-4 record as well — including the Cup win — but with a modest decline in offense, averaging around an 80.2 offensive rating, although their defense’s points allowed drops by nearly five per 100 possessions. 

Clark’s injury-plagued season has caused her to miss half the Fever games this year due to a left quad strain and a groin ailment.

And Peck notes that others have elevated in her absence, which does tend to happen when a high-usage player is sidelined, especially on the defensive end because the director of heliocentric offensive play hardly has the energy to be an elite defender.

That said, it’s hard to build a case for the Fever being more potent without Clark in the long term, despite their encouraging moments.

The high-profile sophomore has been named an All-Star for a second consecutive season despite her injuries.

Clark averaged 19.2 points, 8.4 assists and 5.6 turnovers on 42/34/91 shooting splits as a rookie.

This season, Clark is at 18.2 points, 8.9 assists and 5.9 turnovers per game.

Clark is expected to miss yet another game, her 1oth of the season, as the Fever play the Sparks on Saturday.