Stephanie White Cites Under the Radar Way Caitlin Clark Is Improving for Fever
Caitlin Clark continued her recent brilliant stretch with a triple-double in an Indiana Fever win over the Portland Fire.
Clark finished with 26 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists. But it is one of those statistics that caught the eye of her coach Stephanie White—the rebounds.
When asked about what Clark's fourth career triple-double said about her return to form, White focused on the rebounding.
"I didn't even recognize it until we got into the locker room," White said of the triple-double feat.
"C[lark] can do all of those things and I think the area that she's continuing to get better in for us now is the defensive rebounding. She's always scoring and finding her open teammates and being able to facilitate," White continued.
"She actually made a comment to me in one game, the ball used to find her on the defensive end, and I said you gotta go find it now. And I thought she did a really good job of that. She has the potential to get that every game," White added, before praising Clark's decision making and persistence in getting to the free throw line.
The rebounding bit in particular was interesting, because it's not an area of Clark's game that is often discussed, but it makes sense why it would stand out to White.
Clark's Rebounding Can Lead to Offense
Obviously the first goal of securing a defensive rebound is to keep the opposing team from getting another possession, and thus another shot. The Fever have done a good job on the glass as whole there, they rank fifth in the league in defensive rebounds per game and first in defensive rebounding percentage.
But Clark in particular becomes dangerous when she snares the board, that's because it allows her to initiate the break immediately in going the other way. Indiana has the best offense in the WNBA and plays at the fastest pace, as they are at their most formidable when getting out and running—especially when Clark is the orchestrator.
She is currently averaging 4.1 rebounds per game, which is respectable, but a far cry from the 10 she pulled down versus Portland. If that number can trend up as her minutes creep back up, she and the Fever only become more of a threat.
Clark is producing at a ridiculous rate as is, averaging 29.4 points and 9 assists across her last five games, in only 30 minutes of run per contest. Her playing time should only increase as the year goes on, meaning her statistics are likely trend up as well.
If her rebounding totals point upward too, not only will the team's defensive struggles be alleviated some more, but their offense could get even better.
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Robin Lundberg is a media veteran and hoops head who has spent the bulk of his career with iconic brands like Sports Illustrated and ESPN. His insights have also been featured on platforms such as Fox and CNN and he can currently be heard hosting shows for Sirius XM and on his popular YouTube channel. And now he brings his basketball expertise to Women's Fastbreak On SI and Indiana Fever On SI!
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