Fever Coach Christie Sides Gave Caitlin Clark Effusive Praise

Indiana Fever head coach Christie Sides was effusive in her praise of rookie Caitlin Clark.

Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

It's safe to say Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark has impressed coach Christie Sides so far. With the WNBA break reaching its end, Sides was effusive in her praise of what Clark has brought to the team.

Sides joined Howard Megdal of Locked On Women's Basketball and had a lot to say about both Clark and the rest of the Fever season.

Delighted to share our latest @LockedOnWBB with @IndianaFever head coach Christie Sides. On weathering the early storm, progress since, and what a break means for everyone on the team, including the coaching staff #WNBA https://t.co/TlZHHMqPq7

— Howard Megdal (@howardmegdal) August 13, 2024

When discussing what Indiana needs to do when play resumes, Sides noted how everyone benefits from having Clark on the court. "The attention that Caitlin Clark...what she draws, and how she's been such a great playmaker with the players around her. We're getting wide open shots."

Sides went on to express that she and the coaching staff are sometimes in disbelief when it comes to what Caitlin sees out on the floor. "It's just been so fun to be out on the court with Caitlin Clark and the things that she sees. Her court vision and the passes that she makes...sometimes you just have to pause. I just turn around and am like wow."

Coach Sides talking about turnovers and Caitlin needing to take a certain amount of shots a game. #Feverrising #wnba pic.twitter.com/jfPha44oUi

— Ken Swift (@kenswift) August 13, 2024

The Fever coach also expressed how the break was a good thing for Clark and that she expects Caitlin's shot to fall at a higher rate with fresh legs. "A month of rest is exactly what she needed." That after Megdal referenced shooting numbers indicating CC's percentages could be correlated to how many days off she has in between games. Clark's field goal numbers have been better the more time she has off between contests and she is shooting nearly 50% from the field and over 43% from three when she has at least three days off between games.

Not everything was positive from Christie however. Sides also noted that the Fever really need to improve on defense to accomplish what they are setting out to do. She expressed how she strongly feels the team must get better on that end of the floor in order to make a push, citing that they currently rank 11th in the league in defense.

Regardless, it appears Clark and her coach are ready for WNBA action to resume. With Sides seemingly growing more and more appreciative of who she gets the opportunity to coach.