Caitlin Clark’s Fever gets rude awakening in first WNBA power ranking
Caitlin Clark’s Fever gets rude awakening in first WNBA power ranking initially appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Indiana Fever‘s hype practice has been derailed just a bit bit.
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True, the Fever’s core of expertise — highlighted by their large three of Aliyah Boston, Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell — will generate loads of optimism that Indiana can compete for a WNBA championship this season.
MORE: Fever’s Caitlin Clark is getting roasted for ‘worst in the league’ defensive tape
But the character of Indiana’s begin to the 2026 season has prompted one thing of a rethink. In quick: the Fever have to enhance on protection.
The Fever have tumbled from fourth place in ESPN’s preseason power ranking following their season-opening loss to the Dallas Wings. ESPN’s first in-season rankings of 2026 have the Fever tenth, behind the 0-1 Minnesota Lynx and the 1-1 Las Vegas Aces — who suffered the largest season-opening loss by a defending champion in WNBA historical past.
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“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 it 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 groups in defensive effectivity, or factors allowed per 100 possessions.
While that was a marked enchancment from earlier seasons — Indiana had not ranked greater than seventh in defensive ranking since 2016 — that ranking in all probability is not adequate to achieve the WNBA Finals, the place the Fever have not performed in 11 years.
No one ought to doubt Clark and firm’s means to provide elite numbers offensively. It’s the opposite aspect of the ball the place issues will proceed to develop if the Fever do not reply Wednesday towards the Los Angeles Sparks.
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