Stephanie White on controversial Caitlin Clark decision: ‘Not some revolutionary idea’

The Indiana Fever are coming off a season that ended in an impressive run to the WNBA Semifinals, where they pushed the Las Vegas Aces to Game 7. However, fans were left wondering what might have happened had superstar Caitlin Clark, who missed the entire second half of the season with a nagging groin injury, been available for the playoff run.

Heading into her third season as a professional, the Fever are looking to take some of the workload off Clark to reduce her fatigue and hopefully keep her healthier. This was evidenced in Indiana’s selection of former South Carolina Gamecocks standout Raven Johnson with the first overall pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft, but also by head coach Stephanie White, who has spoken about taking Clark off the ball more than has been the norm in her first two seasons with the Fever.

“Well, we’re not speaking those into existence anymore,” White said. “But I think it helps because (Ty Harris) is a player who’s a combo that can play on and off the ball. Caitlin is a player who can play on and off the ball. Raven is a point guard that primarily has had the ball in her hands. So, I think it gives us some versatility. Thankfully, having a couple of different guards gives us the ability to allow Kelsey to rest a little bit, too.”

There was some backlash to White’s comments, with fans wondering why White would want to take the basketball out of her superstar’s hands. On Monday, White doubled down on her plan, assuring the Fever community she isn’t exactly splitting the atom by looking to free up Clark in other ways.

This is not some revolutionary idea,” White said of taking Clark off the ball at times, per Robin Lundberg.

With Clark’s lethal sharpshooting ability, moving her around off the ball should be incredibly freeing for Aaliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell, Indiana’s other stars. It’ll be fascinating to see how the WNBA’s defenses have to adjust.