"That's why she's struggling" - Fever fans react to Caitlin Clark's $249,244 teammate's broken finger pic amid disastrous run

The Indiana Fever have dealt with some injury concerns early in the season. Aside from Caitlin Clark suffering from a left quadriceps strain, other players have also faced with health concerns, which have affected its record.

Among these injuries is Kelsey Mitchell's middle finger on her shooting hand, which was fractured in China in the offseason. The injury is still visible as her finger appears crooked.

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Fans sympathized with Mitchell and mentioned that the injury has been affecting her game.

"I broke my ring finer on shooting hand when I was young.. and 2 yrs later it still wasn't right and it affects your shot. It just does. Affects your feel how you grip/catch/release it everything. I have no doubt that's why she's struggling with her shot," a fan tweeted.

"Can't tell me that isn't affecting her even though Steph says it isn't," a fan wrote.

"There's no way that isn't affecting her game," another fan wrote.

Meanwhile, some said it should have been dealt with immediately when it happened.

"She should have left China immediately (if possible) and came home and got it fixed," a fan commented.

"Yep. Wish she got it repaired before the season," another fan wrote.

"How did this NOT GET FIXED in China ?" a fan tweeted.

Mitchell, who will be paid $249,244 this season, has played in all six Indiana games. However, the team has only won two.

Fever's Kelsey Mitchell is scoring better at this point of the season compared to last year

While Kelsey Mitchell has started the season slow, she has outperformed her scoring output at this point last year. In the first six games of the 2024 campaign, Mitchell averaged 13.7 points per game. She shot 36.8% on 12.7 attempts.

This year, Mitchell has recorded16.3 ppg on 38.7% shooting (15.5 attempts). She also started last season with two games under 10 points.

Against the Connecticut Sun on May 14, 2024, Mitchell recorded eight points. When Indiana faced the New York Liberty two days later, she had five points. She finally hit double-figures on May 18, 2024, also against the Liberty. That game started a three-game streak of 17 points each.

Additionally, Mitchell didn't score below 10 points again except in the season finale against the Washington Mystics on Sept. 19 (four points).

In the first six outings this season, Mitchell's lowest scoring output was 13 during the Sun game on Friday. She then scored a season-high 24 over the Atlanta Dream on May 20.

While her scoring output has been better, her 3-point efficiency was higher over the same stretch last season (33.3%). Mitchell has knocked down only 29.0% of her shots from downtown this year.

About the author

Miguel is a basketball writer at Sportskeeda with an overall experience of 7 years. A lover of the sport owing to its mental aspect, he has played it throughout high school and college as a power forward and small forward, and has also coached high school and college basketball teams. These experiences have given him a unique perspective on the game, which translates into insightful content.

For Miguel, the San Antonio Spurs, especially during the Tim Duncan era, were the embodiment of team basketball. He respects Gregg Popovich's empathy toward his players and his understanding of the game. The Spurs' titles, Kobe Bryant's poignant "Dear Basketball" tribute, Derrick Rose's remarkable 50-point game with Minnesota and Magic Johnson's remarkable comeback are among Miguel's top basketball moments.

For his articles, he conducts thorough research, cross verifies information with at least three sources, and sometimes sacrifices speed for accuracy. Content simplification and maintaining a neutral view on topics are his strengths.

Miguel follows other sports, particularly the NFL, and when not working he enjoys hobbies like cooking and playing video games.

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Edited by Victor Ramon Galvez