Chances are Caitlin Clark’s second year in the WNBA will look vastly different from her first, and that’s very much a good thing.
Clark will have a new coach in Stephanie White, who has accrued a 92-56 record and has never owned a losing season or missed the playoffs. She’ll have veteran teammates in returning backcourt partner Kelsey Mitchell along with offseason pickups DeWanna Bonner and Natasha Howard, who each boast at least 10 years of playoff experience.
On paper, Indiana is unarguably a title contender in 2025—White said as much in a recent interview with The Athletic. But honing into Clark’s exciting career arc in the WNBA, what kind of changes can fans expect to see in the Fever superstar’s already dazzling game?
White offered her realistic predictions for how Clark will improve in Year 2 and in what areas:
“She is stronger, first and foremost,” White told The Athletic. “She figured out right away that I need to get stronger, I can’t get knocked around as much. She’s done a great job of getting in the weight room and focusing on her strength, in terms of low center of gravity, time under tension, all of those things.
“I think the next step is efficiency. Not so many turnovers, higher field goal percentages.”
White elaborated on how she can help Clark stay efficient when her opponents throw different kinds of coverages and matchups at her.
“It’s working on how to become a little bit more efficient, whether that’s angles of attack, not avoiding contact, how we get by people, different cadences in dribbling, different cadences in footwork and different finishes around the rim,” continued White. “For us as coaches, it’s moving her off the ball a little bit more so she’s not getting worn out in-game.”
The Fever’s offense under Clark in her rookie season was a bit of a double-edged sword, with the star guard leading the WNBA in assists as well as turnovers.
Come May, the bar will naturally be much higher for Clark and the Fever, who clinched their first playoff berth in eight years in 2024 but got eliminated in the first round by the Connecticut Sun.
So far this offseason, the Fever organization appears to be doing everything in its power to ensure that Clark has the tools to achieve even greater success in 2025.
“From a coaching perspective, keep the main thing the main thing. Help her protect her peace and then help her continue to grow on the basketball court,” White said.
More of the Latest Around the WNBA
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Fever Coach Stephanie White Gave Realistic Predictions for Caitlin Clark in Year 2.
