“That’s Why You Drafted”: 2x NBA Champ Reminds Fever of Caitlin Clark’s True Purpose Amid Declining Business

The noise around Caitlin Clark continues to get louder as the season progresses. While her heated exchange with Stephanie White was enough to draw the hoops community’s attention, Clark’s dismal night against the New York Liberty amplified the noise further.

In a torrid game, CC finished the night with just 10 points, shooting 4 of 14 from the field in 34 minutes of game time. And immediately after this performance, some fans pointed to White’s system at Indiana Fever as the reason for Clark’s low production. And now, two-time NBA champion Mychal Thompson has joined this sentiment as well.

“They drafted her number one, but this seemed like the higher-ups, the brain trust, drafted her to be more of a standard point guard and not the point guard, the playmaker, scorer combination she was at Iowa,” Thompson said in an interview with Jason Whitlock. “That’s why you drafted Caitlin Clark.”

“That’s why we fell in love with her style. Tell us why she was the biggest attraction in all of team sports for a few years because people had never seen this from a women’s basketball player, playing like an Isiah Thomas and Stephen Curry type point guard.”

Here’s the thing: Stephanie White has mostly employed a dynamic offensive approach in her system this season. To an extent, it makes CC more of a recipient or a moving body, limiting the true essence of her skill set. Clark needs a steady possession of the ball to cast her spell on the court.

But in an off-the-ball role, Caitlin Clark has been struggling to an extent. The shooting percentage from the field was 41.7% in her rookie year and has dropped to 38.3% this season, according to ESPN’s stats. CC is still scoring at an impressive 18.7 points per game and dishing out 7.9 assists.

Even then, it seems the Indiana Fever hasn’t utilized Clark to her full extent this season. For instance, after the NY Liberty game, White herself admitted it in the post-game press conference.

“We couldn’t get CC loose very much at all, and we have to do a better job of finding ways to do that,” the Fever head coach said.

May 17, 2026; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) celebrates a basket in the first half against the Seattle Storm at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Whitlock himself is a firm supporter of this explanation. For instance, after a fan noted on X that White’s system would thrive with Alyssa Thomas compared to Caitlin Clark, whose qualities are limited in White’s system, Whitlock responded.

“This is a brilliant explanation of Steph White vs. Caitlin Clark. It’s not personal, it’s a difference in strategic philosophy,” his X post read.

It’s something that Stephanie White and the Indiana Fever need to fix tactically. Because even a generational player like Clark can’t thrive in a dysfunctional system. Speaking in his interview with Whitlock, Mychal Thompson hinted that the Indiana Fever needs to use Clark in a free-flowing way, as CC did in Iowa.

“She was something unique, and it seemed like even though they drafted her No. 1, they didn’t want that style in Indiana because she just won with that style. She didn’t win a title,” Thompson said. “But she took a team that had no business probably in the final four twice by playing that style.”

Despite these assessments, Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White clearly establishes a parallel explanation for Caitlin Clark’s production after the Washington game.

Stephanie White Defends Caitlin Clark’s Performance After the Washington Mystics Win

After a dismal night against the NY Liberty, Caitlin Clark truly came alive against Washington. CC finished the game with 19 points, scoring 7 of 16 from the field. Notably, Clark also scored a clutch 31-foot three-point jumper with just 2.5 seconds left in the game to win the game for the Fever 78-76.

While the performance improved, the noise was expected to subside around her. But the press conference took a sudden flip when White was asked about Clark’s frequent off nights this season.

“I think when you have a player like her, it’s very easy for people to just take it for granted, and to think that everything she does is always going to be easy and flawless,” White said as per Tony East’s YouTube video. “And she’s just going to step up, and she’s going to do it every time. You know, number one, a lot of work she puts in. Number two, it’s been a rough go for her over the last 18 to 24 months. So, she’s finding her way.”

White’s assessment is nowhere related to her systematic failure. But it does make sense. CC has sustained a lingering back injury throughout this season, which has also forced her to miss games. And quite naturally, Clark is far from her game fitness.

It can be one of the possible reasons behind Clark’s reduced production this season. But with this clutch performance against the Mystics, Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever would hope that the outside noise eases out a bit around them. The Fever are now 6-5 in the season, with their next game against the Chicago Sky on June 11.

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