Caitlin Clark States Clear Goal For Fever Next Season
Now that the Indiana Fever have been eliminated from the WNBA playoffs, fans will have to (most likely) wait until the spring to see superstar Caitlin Clark back on the court, playing regular season games.
Despite the Fever being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Connecticut Sun, there's no question that this season was a success for them. Not only had Indiana not made the playoffs since 2016 before this year, but they've been perpetual bottom-dwellers in the WNBA standings for most of the time since that point.
But their elite young core now appears destined to turn Indiana into a championship contender in the coming years.
While winning a WNBA championship is an obvious goal for any WNBA player and franchise, Caitlin Clark made it clear that she has a more specific goal in mind for her Fever in 2025 during her end-of-season exit meeting on Friday.
"You got a taste of getting the playoffs, obviously we haven't been there since 2016," Clark said, per X user Ken Swift. "So I think that's what the message was for us, is like, hey, great, we got the six-seed. Our goal was to get back to the playoffs. But we probably could have given ourselves a little bit better of a chance to try to get it to game three to give our fans an opportunity to cheer us on at home, and that's kind of what stunk about it.
"But next year, we're wanting to be a top-four seed," Clark added. "We believe we can build this place into a championship contender. That's what I believe. That's why I'm going to do everything in my power to help this organization get there. But you've got to let it hurt you a little bit and really drive you throughout the offseason."
Caitlin’s Exit Interview:
— Ken Swift (@kenswift) September 27, 2024
She talks about the pain of losing in the playoffs and not getting a home game, but also her focus on being a top 4 seed next year.#WNBA #FeverRising
Full Video Here: https://t.co/9uAFUQyG8s pic.twitter.com/OoqAKqpayR
Being a top-four seed in the WNBA standings is a massive advantage because it means that the first two games of the playoffs' first round are at home.
And given how impressive the Fever's fanbase is, playing in front of their home crowd would certainly serve Clark and her teammates next season.
Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.