Fever Development Coach Details How Caitlin Clark Can 'Shift Gears' For WNBA Growth
Despite being 22 years old, it's hard to imagine that Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark could have all that much to improve on as she enters her second WNBA season.
Not only did Clark show that her record-setting college basketball success could translate into the professional game, but her winning the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year Award and being fourth in WNBA MVP voting shows that she has already arrived as a superstar.
However, considering how Keith Porter is the Indiana Fever's Player Development Coach (after he came to the franchise from the Connecticut Sun along with Stephanie White), it's literally his job to ensure Clark continues to develop as a player.
And during his January 20 interview with Rachel DeMita, Porter spoke about the new skills he's trying to instill in Clark right now.
"For her, just pace," Porter said. "A lot of pick and roll work, and just learning how to shift gears and play with different pace.
"I always compare it to the men's side of the game, the top guards... they have so many different gears they can shift from. They go fast when they want, they go slow when they want," Porter continued. "And just learning how to move the defense in that way, because... she has seen every type of coverage. She's getting blasted on ball screens, they're trying to get the ball out of her hands."
He then added, "Learning how to slow down when she wants, try to make that defense overcommit and now go the opposite way, and things like that. And then just giving her a few more finishes, getting downhill and things like that so she has some more tools in her belt."
Keith Porter on what new skills he’s teaching Caitlin Clark
— Ken Swift (@kenswift) January 21, 2025
- Great Interview @RADeMita
Full Video Here: https://t.co/kNd146vrUF pic.twitter.com/7gEoxn0zAb
It will be fun to see how those tools become sharpened under Porter's guidance during Clark's 2025 campaign.
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.