Becky Hammon's 6-Word Message on Playing Fever Without Caitlin Clark Says it All

Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon got honest when asked about how the Fever are different without Caitlin Clark on the court.

Jun 7, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon stands in front of the bench during the third quarter against the Golden State Valkyries at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

The Las Vegas Aces have headed to Indiana on July 3, in order to take on the Fever. While these two 8-8 teams should have a tough contest ahead of them, one could say that the Aces received a break because star guard Caitlin Clark is not suiting up on Thursday, as she is still trying to get fully healthy after suffering a groin injury at the end of June.

The Aces haven't had a problem beating the Fever with Clark active, as the former Iowa Hawkeyes superstar is 0-5 against Las Vegas in her WNBA career. However, there's no question that Indiana is much tougher to deal with when No. 22 is orchestrating the offense.

And Aces head coach Becky Hammon alluded to this when speaking with the media before Thursday's game.

"It pretty much changes a lot," Hammon said with a wry smile when asked how preparing for Indiana changes when Caitlin Clark isn't active, per a YouTube video from Scott Agness.

After laughing, she added, "We prepared yesterday as if she was going to play, then when we got word she was out, obviously, we'll be doing a little more traditional stuff... I mean, she's somebody that requires a lot of attention. A lot of attention to detail when she's in the ballgame. But it's a scary team, in the sense of Caitlin being out is somebody else's opportunity to get minutes."

It sounds like Hammon is ensuring her squad isn't taking the Fever lightly, despite their star point guard being sidelined for the fourth straight game.