Caitlin Clark Had Optimistic Message for Fever After First-Round Playoff Exit

Clark high fives Indiana Fever teammate Lexie Hull.
Clark high fives Indiana Fever teammate Lexie Hull. / Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images
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The Indiana Fever were bounced from the 2024 WNBA playoffs in two games after falling in their first round series against the Connecticut Sun.

Following their early postseason exit, Caitlin Clark reflected on her rookie season and the strides the Fever made throughout the year. Despite failing to secure a win in the playoffs, Clark expressed optimism about the future of the franchise after a strong second half of the campaign.

"It's a good little taste of what's possible for this organization and for this franchise," Clark said. "There's a lot for us to hold our heads high about, you know. This team won five games two years ago. We're a young group, a pretty inexperienced group, but we came together and had a lot of fun playing with one another."

Their inexperience was on full display early in the season when they limped to a 1–8 record out the gate. They turned things around, however, and were playing some of their best basketball after the All-Star and Olympic break. Clark came into her own as she got more familiar with the competition at the WNBA level, and she made clear that she thinks this group has plenty to be prideful about after their turnaround.

"That's sometimes the worst part of it is like you feel like you’re really playing your best basketball, and then it has to end. But like I said, proud of this group. Stayed resilient all year and had a lot of fun together," she added.

With the spotlight constantly on her, Clark averaged 19.2 points, 8.4 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game in her first season in the W. There's plenty to build on in Indiana, and Clark indicated that the future is bright if they can continue at their current trajectory and grow as a unit.


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Karl Rasmussen

KARL RASMUSSEN

Karl Rasmussen is a staff writer for the Breaking and Trending News team for Sports Illustrated. A University of Oregon alum who joined SI in February 2023, his work has appeared on 12up and ClutchPoints. Rasmussen is a loyal Tottenham, Jets, Yankees and Ducks fan.