Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell Are Cooking for Red Hot Fever
Indiana Fever All-Star Kelsey Mitchell posted a simple message on her Instagram story in response to a stat shared by her backcourt mate Caitlin Clark that highlighted the pair's dominant performance in a win over the Dallas Wings.
Clark had written "Backcourt homie" and tagged Kelsey. To which Mitchell replied, "riding wit you, 22." And why not? Because the duo is currently lighting the WNBA on fire.
Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell special duo who loves each other 🥹 pic.twitter.com/bqmO0hC6kz
— correlation (@nosyone4) September 2, 2024
The Fever mates are averaging a combined 37.7 points per game on the season. But that number jumps to 51.3 since the Olympic break ended, which is over 10 points per game more than any other backcourt in the league has produced in that span.
The synergy in their game is becoming more apparent with every win, as Clark is the team's engine, while Mitchell is a born bucket. Caitlin's orchestrating and deep shooting has drawn defensive attention and helped Kelsey to thrive. And Mitchell is punishing opponents who can't load up against her. She also bails Indiana out at times with her ability to create as a scorer and has come through big in the clutch.
Mitchell is shooting a blistering 62.5% in clutch minutes, which is defined as a game within five points in the last five minutes. While Clark is currently producing more points on average than any player in league history ever has. CC is scoring or assisting on 37.3 points per game.
The success of the combination has led some online to refer to the pair as the Splash Sisters, a nod of course to Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. The way they have played off one another has also led to comparisons with LeBron James and Kyrie Irving. Not only for statistical output, but in style, with one do it all playmaker being amplified by a pure scorer.
Kelsey Mitchell & Caitlin Clark: pic.twitter.com/ipzKghN2ou
— Hub (@KenHeLive) September 1, 2024
Of course Clark and Mitchell are carving out their own identity and the Fever have an elite offense as a result. Indiana has the number one offense in the league since July, which is becoming a larger and larger sample size with each passing game.
The two explained it simply following yet another victory that put the squad over .500 for the season. Kelsey stated that the pace the team plays with is difficult for opponents to deal with and Caitlin added, “When you have two guards that are both making plays it puts teams in a tough position.”
It would be hard to muster up an argument otherwise, as the backcourt of Clark and Mitchell is cooking everyone. With no signs of slowing down.
Robin Lundberg is a media veteran and hoops head who has spent the bulk of his career with iconic brands like Sports Illustrated and ESPN. His insights have also been featured on platforms such as Fox and CNN and he can currently be heard hosting shows for Sirius XM and on his burgeoning YouTube show. And now he brings his basketball expertise to Women's Fastbreak on SI!