It was one other week with out Caitlin Clark, because the WNBA’s brightest star was sidelined for 2 extra video games.
Clark may very well be again this week. She might return on Tuesday for a sport in opposition to Atlanta, however both means, she’ll be again within the lineup quickly.
Indiana nonetheless discovered a strategy to win two video games this week. That was essential. Listed here are some ideas on that, plus different key takeaways from the WNBA through the previous seven days.
Indiana may profit from Clark’s absence
Lengthy-term, it is higher to have Caitlin Clark on the court docket always. However with Clark out, another gamers wanted to emerge. Aliyah Boston has finished that. Kelsey Mitchell, too.
Boston is changing into an increasing number of efficient offensively. She at present leads the WNBA in field-goal percentage and is obstructing 1.6 photographs per sport. As a staff, Indiana survived with out Clark due to its protection.
The Fever boasts the second-best defensive ranking within the WNBA, according to Basketball Reference. Final season, they have been eleventh out of 12 groups.
Indiana additionally has the league’s third-best level differential behind solely the unbeaten New York Liberty and Minnesota Lynx.
As soon as Clark will get again and the offense will get rolling, the supporting solid is sweet sufficient to get Indiana into the WNBA title dialog.
Clark is the WNBA’s greatest star, however Napheesa Collier is the very best participant
The second-year participant from Iowa could have loads of time to create some buzz for her personal MVP candidacy, however it’s exhausting to see anybody significantly difficult Napheesa Collier for the award proper now.
The Lynx star has been flat-out dominant. She’s main the WNBA with 25.1 ppg along with rating second in steals (2.1), seventh in rebounds (8.7), ninth in blocks (1.1), and twenty first in assists (3.40).
Collier has been extremely environment friendly offensively, too. She leads the league in free-throw proportion (90.4) and is considered one of simply two WNBA gamers capturing higher than 50 % from the sphere (52.5), 40 % from 3-point vary (40.9), and 90 % on the foul line.
Clark may get the headlines, however Collier is the very best girls’s basketball participant on the planet for the time being, one thing she bolstered on Sunday with 28 factors, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, three blocks, 4 steals, and three 3-pointers in an 81-65 win for the Lynx over the Dallas Wings.
Parity is alive and nicely within the WNBA
New York and Minnesota, final season’s finalists, have been the 2 dominant groups within the league this season.
Past that, parity has reigned supreme. Not one of the different 11 groups has fewer than three losses. Atlanta did have two losses coming into the week, and a win over the Fever in Indiana.
But, of their solely sport of the week, the Dream misplaced on the street in opposition to the Connecticut Solar, who have been 1-6 earlier than that.
The Las Vegas Aces additionally misplaced on the street to the Golden State Valkyries, a two-win staff on the time, in lopsided style.
Connecticut has the second-worst report within the league, however its wins are in opposition to two of the highest 4 groups within the WNBA in level differential.
There are precisely six groups with profitable data and 6 groups with shedding data, in addition to Indiana at 4-4.
It is early, however 12 of the 13 teams are inside 2.5 video games of the playoffs; solely Dallas, which has been lacking Paige Bueckers, is farther again.
The WNBA is a little bit top-heavy, however after these two high groups, there was plenty of parity.
