3 things Caitlin Clark must do to retain Indiana Fever's chemistry in her absence upon returning

It has been a turbulent season for the Indiana Fever, who have spent much of the year without Caitlin Clark while also battling a wave of injuries and off-court drama. Still, they hold the WNBA’s fifth-best record at 18-14.

The team navigated the DeWanna Bonner controversy, and after parting ways with her, brought in Aari McDonald, only for their misfortune to worsen when the last two point guards outside of Clark suffered major injuries in a lopsided loss to Phoenix on Thursday.

On Friday, the Fever confirmed that both Sydney Colson and McDonald will miss the rest of the season. Colson tore the ACL in her left knee, while McDonald broke a bone in her right foot.

With their point guard depth wiped out, Indiana signed Odyssey Sims to a hardship contract. And ahead of Tuesday’s matchup with the Dallas Wings, the WNBA site listed Clark as a game-time decision, sparking excitement among fans about a possible return.

While Indiana pieced together a five-game win streak in July without Clark, they followed it with back-to-back losses, but now have a chance to spark another run against the Wings. The Fever are 8-5 with Clark in the lineup this season, and 10-9 without her.

Whenever Clark is cleared to return, she will have to rejoin a group that has managed to find some success in her absence.

Here are three things Caitlin Clark can do to preserve the Fever’s chemistry once she’s back.

3 things Caitlin Clark must do to retain Indiana Fever's chemistry

#1. Play more off the ball

Shifting to more off-ball play could help Caitlin Clark blend back in with the team. Although she’s averaging 8.8 assists per game, she’s also committing 5.1 turnovers per game this year.

This won’t be easy given how thin the Fever are in the backcourt, but Clark should let Kelsey Mitchell run the offense at times. Mitchell has put up 20.4 points, 3.8 assists, and 1.9 rebounds in 19 games without her.

She should also give more offensive freedom to Sophie Cunningham and Lexie Hull, both of whom have delivered big scoring nights in Clark’s absence.

#2. Keep feeding the bigs

Aliyah Boston has thrived more when Clark is on the court, but Clark has yet to fully click with Natasha Howard.

Howard’s numbers actually improved slightly in scoring and rebounding while Clark was out, while Boston’s averages dipped by about three points and nearly one rebound without Clark.

When she returns, Clark should work to build better chemistry with Howard while reestablishing her connection with Boston to maximize the frontcourt’s impact.

#3. Listen to the team’s leaders

Caitlin Clark is the WNBA’s biggest star, and when she talks, people listen. That dynamic should also hold true inside the Fever locker room, which has weathered plenty this season.

Despite the challenges, Clark has remained a vocal presence to push the team through the stretch run. But during her absence, other leaders have stepped forward, according to coach Stephanie White: Cunningham, Colson and Boston.

With defenses constantly zeroing in on her, Clark could benefit from sharing some leadership responsibilities with her teammates.