The Fever’s Best Answer Remains Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston
When Stephanie White took over as Indiana Fever coach, she had this to say about the combination of Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston when asked her initial impressions of how they played as a pick and roll duo.
"When you think about the point guards and post players that, our game—not just our league, but our game—has seen, they are going to go down in history as the greatest."
White made that declaration after comparing the pair to John Stockton and Karl Malone and following lengthy words of admiration on the competitive spirit and ability to uplift teammates that they possess.
Of course, the Fever currently find themselves mired in their worst stretch of the season, complete with a lot of outside noise following a heated exchange between Clark and White on the bench.
Amid the blowout loss to the Portland Fire, cameras panned to Clark and Boston on the sideline in conversation, each covering their mouth so no lip-readers could get to work.
It's not possible to know what they were saying, but the answer does lie with them. And the Fever would be best suited getting back to basics in order to escape this current skid.
Adjusting Back to Basics Is Simple
In a May appearance on Women's Sports Now, White explained that creating space for Clark and Boston remains a priority—but there was one noteworthy aspect to her comments.
"I think creating space for C[lark] and AB to do what they do in the two-man game, you probably aren't going to see on the first side of the floor anymore, everybody's gameplan is ready for that," White said.
"I think playing through AB as a hub and inverting some of those actions, she showed last year that she can be a point-forward so to speak. She handled a lot of our ball handling duties with Caitlin off the floor. We want to play through her, we want those two to play off of one another," she added.
Creating space for Clark, Boston, and Kelsey Mitchell to operate is certainly paramount, however, the idea of abandoning the first pick and roll action and using Boston as the hub are worth some pushback.
Boston served as said hub when Clark was out, she's now back. Also, just because teams are prepared for a certain action doesn't mean they can stop it. Much like the sweep kick in the corner in Street Fighter, sometimes one can see something coming and still not be able to react in time.
Additionally, before the game against the Fire, Clark shared this about the team's strategy.
"We gotta get the ball inside to our post players, I think that's one key to the game that will help us win."
None of that sounds like the bread-and-butter approach that made Clark and Boston such a no-brainer connection in the first place.
And often, when things get uncomfortable, as they have in recent days for the Fever, the best approach is to rely on the comfortable.
Clark and Boston don't need structure in order to return to form. Both are high IQ players who understand how to make plays for others when attention comes their way.
So the Fever may be best served giving opponents exactly what they prepared for.
Defense Comes into Focus
The retort to the above could come in pointing to the other end of the floor. The Fever still lead the WNBA in points per game and sit in fourth in offensive rating. They were fourth in defensive rating as well, before the disaster against Portland—and have since stumbled to eighth.
It is the defensive end that appeared to be the root of the frustration between Clark and White on the sideline and the Fever star was in foul trouble due to being targeted relentlessly on that end.
In fact, Clark has defended more plays in isolation than any player this season.
If it's felt like teams have *really* looked to attack Caitlin Clark 1v1 this year, it's because they have.
— Nekias (Nuh-KAI-us) Duncan (@NekiasNBA) May 31, 2026
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)
The Fever have also switched at a higher rate than any other team, leaving defenders on an island—hence Kelsey Mitchell also being in the top five in isolations defended.
Clark has appeared to be frustrated for being whistled when having her arms staight up and down. And this is not something only plaguing her. Raven Johnson--who is noted for her defense--picked up 6 fouls in just 10 minutes of action against the Fire.
So, defending without fouling should clearly be an area of emphasis. It's also worth wondering whether Indiana should consider some more helping schemes on that end.
To her credit, Clark made sure to state the referees were not the issue versus Portland and put the onus on herself to move her feet and defend better.
However, it is always easiest to defend when the other team is taking the ball out of the basket. And the best way to circumvent frustration is to get into an early flow and not disrupt rhythm.
So the recipe for the Fever may be the heaviest dose of Clark and Boston pick-and-roll possible when taking on the Atlanta Dream Thursday.
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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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