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WNBA analyst Carolyn Peck claimed that the Indiana Fever is "more dangerous" without reigning Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark.
Clark missed the Fever's 81-54 win over the Las Vegas Aces on Thursday. The 2025 WNBA All-Star top vote-getter was sidelined for the fourth consecutive game due to a groin injury.
On Thursday's "SportsCenter," Peck analyzed how the team found ways to win without Clark.
"I think that Indiana is even more dangerous when Caitlin Clark doesn't play," Peck said. "Because she's a ball-dominant guard. The ball is in her hands a lot, so you know what you need to try to take away. But when you look at Indiana now, they've got so many weapons."
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Peck praised the improved performances of center Aliyah Boston and guard Kelsey Mitchell. She also highlighted the contributions of Aari McDonald, whom Indiana signed to a rest-of-season contract on June 25.
"When you have a point guard like Kelsey Mitchell, and Aari McDonald making plays on the perimeter, and a post like Aliyah Boston, I'm gonna tell you: Indiana, they are a threat. And it's specifically on the defensive end," Peck added.
"Stephanie (White) is so pleased with the intensity that they're bringing defensively with their length, their switches. I mean, they wreak havoc on their last two opponents."
The Fever have limited their opponents to under 60 points in their last two games. On Tuesday, they won the 2025 WNBA Commissioners Cup via a 74-59 win over the league-best Minnesota Lynx.
Caitlin Clark has missed a total of nine games this year. She also dealt with a left quad strain, missing five consecutive games earlier this season. While Indiana has played great and dominated in the previous two games, the team is just 5-4 without its superstar guard.
Before her career as an analyst, Peck coached for three seasons in the WNBA and also had stints as a college basketball coach.
Carolyn Peck once picked Angel Reese as the ROTY over eventual winner Caitlin Clark
Carolyn Peck also made headlines last season when she named Chicago Sky star Angel Reese as the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year (ROTY) over Caitlin Clark.
In an interview on ESPN in July 2024, Peck picked Reese as her ROTY as the 2024 season approached the midway mark.
"It is a thin, thin line. It's really tight," Peck said. "But when you look at where the teams are — and I also went a little deeper and looked at plus-minus, and I also look at net rating. When you look at that, Angel Reese has to get the nod. Now, I know it's not a popular position to take because Angel Reese has to do the dirty work.
"I have said, it's not sexy to have to battle and rebound inside. Where you've got to do the blue-collar work. But this is a player that has come in as a rookie and is putting up grown woman numbers."
Reese was the runner-up behind Clark in the ROTY race last season.
In nine games this season, Caitlin Clark is averaging 18.2 points, 8.9 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 1.6 steals. Clark's status for the Indiana Fever's home game against the LA Sparks on Saturday is yet to be announced.
