The Indiana Fever are in the middle of a two-game losing streak on the West Coast after falling to the Golden State Valkyries and the Portland Fire. The Fever, which has one of the most potent offenses in the league, struggled to find its top form on that end of the floor, but things were much more concerning on defense.
Star point guard Caitlin Clark, in particular, struggled on that end of the floor. Clark was singled out by both Golden State and Portland, with both teams finding massive success putting Clark in isolation and looking to score with her being the primary defender.
Yahoo Sports writer Nekias Duncan delved further into the numbers and found that no other player in the league is put into isolation and attacked as much as Clark is. He shared his findings in post on X on Sunday morning.
If it’s felt like teams have *really* looked to attack Caitlin Clark 1v1 this year, it’s because they have.
Total isolations defended so far, per Second Spectrum:
1) Caitlin Clark (42)
2) Olivia Miles (19)
3) Pauline Astier/DeWanna Bonner (18)
5) Kelsey Mitchell (17)— Nekias (Nuh-KAI-us) Duncan (@NekiasNBA) May 31, 2026
Duncan also noted that Fever head coach Stephanie White has done her best to try to protect Clark on defense.
“1) they already put her on the least threatening offensive player 2) we’ve seen them limit help (guard your yard, limit 3s), peel help in early, and send late help 3) they’ve gone to switch-and-double to get her out of matchups, and mixed in zone last night,” he told another user on X of what White has done to try and ease Clark’s defensive burden.
Ultimately, Clark will have to take things personally and work to improve on that end of the floor. Indiana’s championship aspirations are dependent on it.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.