Fever Urged to Make 'Hugely Beneficial' Change for Caitlin Clark After Injury
While the biggest hindrance for Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever here in 2025 appears to be the star point guard's ability to stay healthy--she has missed seven games with quad and groin injuries--one problem the team has had is finding ways to get her shots that she does not have to create herself.
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The team is lacking in secondary ballhandlers outside of Kelsey Mitchell, but the move this week to waive veteran DeWanna Bonner and bring back point guard Aari McDonald, who filled in for Clark as a hardship signee in May, could help, especially if Fever coach Stephanie White figures out a way to play both McDonald and Clark together.
Having watched Clark and the Fever play in their win in Seattle last week, Hall of Fame point guard Sue Bird noted that Indiana needs to find ways to make the game easier for Clark.
Caitlin Clark© Grace Smith / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
"I got to watch Caitlin play in person against Seattle and one thing I noticed was, it would be really beneficial for her if she had players around her who could create shots for her. Right?" Bird said on her "Bird's-Eye View" podcast. "She has to create a lot of her own shots, but she is also creating for her teammates. There are times where, if she could just get some open looks off other peoples' play, it could be hugely beneficial for her. That's where Aari McDonald might have some impact."
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Bird acknowledged that playing McDonald and Clark together creates some defensive holes (McDonald is 5-foot-6, the smallest player on the Fever roster). But the small-sample numbers are encouraging.
"The good news is when Aari was with the team previously, a lineup of her, Natasha Howard, Kelsey Mitchell, Lexie Hull and Aliyah Boston had a net rating of 53.1. Very small sample size, but just saying," Bird said.
"The other thing to note about Indiana is that recently, their small lineup of Kelsey Mitchell, Sophie Cunningham, Lexie Hull, Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston is at a 41.7. These numbers are really high. They can spread the floor, Aliyah Boston can go to work. I would not be surprised to see those lineups."
Alas, the current challenge, before Tuesday night's Commissioner's Cup battle against the Lynx in Minnesota, is simply to get Clark healthy and back on the floor. She is day-to-day, and listed as "questionable" for the game.
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 1, 2025, where it first appeared.
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