Caitlin Clark has been set a target by Indiana Fever coach Christie Sides after recently passing up shooting opportunities to be unselfish in her play.
Clark tallied nine shots during the Fever’s defeat against the Seattle Storm on Thursday, with three of her teammates taking more attempts, and Sides urged the star rookie to be more selfish when the team need her. “Caitlin Clark needs to shoot a minimum of 15 shots a game for us,” Sides said. “She’s got to get shots, and we’ve got to do a better job of setting her up, setting some really good screens for her to get her open.”
The first overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft has enjoyed a strong rookie season and has been one of the main driving forces in the surge in the popularity of the league. Clark is averaging 16.2 points, 6.6 assists per game and registering 12.2 field goal attempts per game – ranking her 22nd in the WNBA and the most among rookies.
Clark’s aggressive treatment on court has made headlines around the country but Sides wants to see Clark get on the ball more and take more chances for herself with her averaging 22.7 shots per game in her final college season.
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“The way people guard her, it’s tough,” Sides said. “Once the ball is out of her hands, she is setting up the rest of our team for some really great looks. She’s getting some pretty good looks [for herself] off the ball. But we like her on the ball, so we have to figure out how to manage the two.”
Clark’s performance against Angel Reese ’s Chicago Sky has come under the microscope after she took just one shot in the final seven minutes, and three shots in total in the fourth quarter as Fever blew a 15-point lead to lose 88-87. She was spotted having what appeared to be a frustrated, heated discussion with Sides on the touchline following the defeat.
“I never want her to not be aggressive and take shots,” Sides said after that loss. “I really thought when she want out in transition after that missed free throw, I thought she was going to take it to the rim or pull up right there. That would have been a great shot for her, for our team.”
Clark acknowledged that she could have looked to score more often, she admitted: “I could definitely be a little more aggressive to the basket. But I think I’m just going to try to take what the defense gives me and try to set my teammates up for success, too.”
During the defeat against the Sky, Clark set a record franchise-high 13 assists despite being criticized for her play, she hit back in the postgame press conference, saying: “I’m sure there was an opportunity or two for me to probably attempt another shot there at the end but I trust my teammates.
“Obviously 13 assists, that means my teammates score off 13 of my passes, it’s a really great number so I’m going to give them the ball every time and give them the opportunity to score. I believe in them and obviously Kelse (Kelsey Mitchell) had a good game, I thought AB (Aliyah Boston) was really good.”
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