Caitlin Clark on Influence of Fever Teammate Aliyah Boston: 'She's Been There to Pick Me Up'

The Indiana Fever are off to a rocky start, opening the year with losses in each of their first five games. But Caitlin Clark says her and Aliyah Boston are helping each other and "navigating this together."
 Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark and forward Aliyah Boston
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark and forward Aliyah Boston / Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
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There's no way around it, the Indiana Fever have had a rough start to the 2024 WNBA season. They're 0-5 on the young season, despite having back-to-back first-round picks in Aliyah Boston (2023) and Caitlin Clark (2024) on the roster.

Because of the early on-court struggles, you might think there's some division within the locker room. But Clark told reporters on Friday that's not the case. She says Boston — last year's WNBA Rookie of the Year and an All-Star selection — has been incredibly helpful through the first month of her career.

"Yeah, I think the biggest thing about Aliyah, coming in here, I think her leadership has been amazing. She's been one of the biggest voices in our locker room," Clark said, via a post from Sirius XM's Nick Hamilton. "She's been somebody that's been there to pick me up, I've been there to pick her up."

After losing each of their first three games by double digits, the Fever have had chances to get their first win in each of the last two contests. Indiana dropped an 88-84 decision to the Connecticut Sun on Monday and fell 85-83 to the Seattle Storm on Wednesady.

Many though Clark and Boston would be one of the most dominant one-two punches in the WNBA. But, as it turns out, there's a learning curve that comes with the league. Players don't just immediately come in and dominate.

Clark seems to understand that well, saying her and Boston are still working to get in sync on the floor.

"We're navigating this together. It's hard, a post and a point guard trying to get that connection, that chemistry within 20 days and five games. Everybody's just expecting so much. I think it's just a learning process and that will only continue to get better," Clark said.

"I think the pace we want to play at is a little bit different than last year, so continuing to get comfortable with that. But I think, overall, Aliyah's overall leadership and her voice in our locker room has been tremendous."

Indiana plays the Los Angeles Sparks on Friday night and the Las Vegas Aces on Saturday.


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Dustin Schutte

DUSTIN SCHUTTE