“No one wants to come to Indiana and play with Caitlin Clark” Remember when Sheryl Swoopes said that? Well, Kelsey Mitchell of the WNBA Indiana Fever just dropped a truth that has Swoopes looking foolish.
During her first interview at the Indiana Fever training camp with Caitlin Clark, Mitchell didn’t hold back against Swoopes lies.
Kelsey Mitchell notices crucial Caitlin Clark change – ‘It seems small’
Caitlin Clark is said to have made changes to her game heading into her second season in the WNBA with her backcourt teammate and head coach both saying the same thing.
Caitlin Clark is said to have put on significant amount of muscle since last year(Image: Getty Images)
Caitlin Clark’s teammate with the Indiana Fever has noticed the same thing about the Rookie of the Year as new head coach Stephanie White, as the superstar heads into her second season in the WNBA.
Clark has returned to the Fever to begin practices with their first game of the preseason set to begin his weekend. The 23-year-old is said to be as strong as she ever has been while looking to improve on her incredible rookie year.
White and backcourt teammate Kelsey Mitchell have both been said to have noticed her offseason work already paying off in practices. It comes after WNBA defenses regularly looked to impose themselves on her physically last year, suffering a ruptured ear drum on one foul and being floored by Chicago Sky’s Chennedy Carter.
White was said to have mentioned Clark’s strength before Mitchell told reporters on Monday: “It seems small, but it’s going to make her go from having 25 (points) to having 28 or 10 assists to 12 assists.”
The Fever made numerous moves to improve their roster last season, bringing White back as head coach after she impressed with the Connecticut Sun, as well as trading for Sophie Cunningham and Jaelyn Brown and adding Natasha Howard, DeWanna Bonner, Sydney Colson and Brianna Turner in free agency.
This has seen the Fever placed among the favorites to challenge for the WNBA championship, less than two years after the team had the worst records in the league in 2022 and 2023.
Indiana’s new-look starting five might be among the strongest in the league, including Clark and Mitchell as the starting guards, with the quintet having made the All-Star team in recent years.
Clark knows that throughout the season, players may have to sacrifice their statistics and production, including her own, which could potentially impact her MVP chances in 2026. But this seems like something Clark is willing to accept, wanting to compete for a championship – hoping to bring the franchise it’s first since 2012.
She told reporters: “When you win, that’s what’s fun. Nobody cares about their personal stats. Nobody cares about how many points you scored, how many rebounds you had, how many minutes you played. Everybody’s going to have to give a little bit, but that’s what it takes to win. And Steph has preached that since she got here to Indy.”
Kelsey Mitchell has been impressed with what she’s seen from Clark since returning to the team
Seattle Storm guard Lexie Brown has been impressed with how the Fever have been able to build around Clark, believing them to be significantly stronger this year. She said: “They gave Caitlin some dawgs around her. They not playing around. They gave her some more shooters. Natasha Howard, I think, was their best signing. I think people forgot what type of player she was while she’s been in Dallas.”
She added: “I’m excited to watch them. I’m actually also excited to play against them… you add a ton of veterans that supposedly were ‘hating’ on the rookies but all wanted to go play with [Caitlin]. They wasn’t hating. They was p—– that we have to chase her around all the time. But when you get the opportunity to play with a player like that, you’re gonna go.”