Candace Parker Makes 'Scary' Indiana Fever Assessment Upon Caitlin Clark Return
The Indiana Fever have played their past 11 games without star guard Caitlin Clark, as she continues to be sidelined with a right groin injury that arrived in the final minute of the Fever's July 15 win against the Connecticut Sun.
While the Fever started off doing quite well in this recent spell without Clark (they won five straight games at one point, including three against likely playoff teams), they have since dropped three out of their last four and are without a clear starting point guard, since both Sydney Colson and Aari McDonald suffered season-ending injuries on August 7.
Still, the fact that Indiana has managed to produce a 6-5 record since Clark's most recent injury deserves a lot of praise. And the adversity this roster has dealt with across the entire 2025 campaign will likely pay dividends once the playoffs arrive.
Candace Parker Gets Clear About Indiana Fever Once Caitlin Clark Returns
WNBA legend Candace Parker does a weekly podcast with Fever center Aliyah Boston called Post Moves. And during the August 13 episode of their show, Parker shared a strong stance about how the Fever will fare once Clark returns from injury.
"I'm telling you, what Caitlin gets back, it's gonna be scary from backcourt standpoint," Parker said to Boston.
"Because [Clark and Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell] with the ball in their hands, without the ball, and as a post player, your eyes have to light up. Because if there's that much attention from the backcourt, if you set screens, if you set early drags in transition, the sky is the limit of what you all are able to accomplish," she added.
Candace Parker On Caitlin Clark returning and playing with KM & AB!
— Jmac| Ball Up 🏀| WNBA & NBA | (@Gameis_gameLFG) August 13, 2025
“When Caitlin gets back it’s going to be SCARY”
“The Sky is the limit to what you all can accomplish “ pic.twitter.com/0joQuIUwKi
It's nice to hear Parker sharing this stance, because some in the women's basketball community seem to think the Fever are better without Clark on the court, given how much she changes things for their offense.
ESPN analyst Carolyn Peck shared this stance on July 3, saying, "I think that Indiana is even more dangerous when Caitlin Clark doesn't play. Because she's a ball-dominant guard. The ball is in her hands a lot, so you know what you need to try to take away. But when you look at Indiana now, they've got so many weapons.
"When you have a point guard like Kelsey Mitchell, and Aari McDonald making plays on the perimeter, and a post like Aliyah Boston, I'm gonna tell you: Indiana, they are a threat. And it's specifically on the defensive end," Peck added.
Caroline Peck saying the @IndianaFever are more dangerous WITHOUT Caitlin Clark. (I’m keeping receipts now) pic.twitter.com/Tv7ZZgXRYa
— Ken Swift (@kenswift) July 4, 2025
Candace Parker clearly does not agree with this sentiment.
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Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the Indiana Fever and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.
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