“Nobody tells Steph Curry not to take good shots, right?” Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White said after Caitlin Clark and Co. absolutely torched Brazil in their second preseason game at the Carver-Hawkeye Arena. It was borderline cruel for the Brazilians to see Clark take a shot 36 feet away from the rim and get nothing but net. It was an open shot, and you don’t give that much space to a player like Clark.
The coach knows she has a generational player in her hands. The Steph Curry comparisons are not new at all. Ever since her college basketball days, the fans were quick to pit her against arguably the best long-range shooter of all time. The comparisons were amplified last year when Clark just came in and casually dominated the WNBA in her first season. Clark topped the assist charts and delivered highlight moments that have redefined what’s possible in the WNBA—plays fans couldn’t have dreamed of just a year ago.
Now this national analyst has gone one step further and compared the best Golden State Warriors team to this year’s Indiana Fever roster. Seerat Sohi said on her The Ringer podcast, “It’s showtime. It kind of reminds me a little bit of the 2015 early Steph Curry, pre-KD era Warriors, the 2016 team in particular that won 73 games. Just the way that everywhere they went, they were like The Beatles because of the way that their play style coalesced around like the electric shooting and the playmaking of Steph Curry.”
The famed 2016 Golden State Warriors is etched in everyone’s minds despite not winning the title that year. They shattered the record of most wins during the regular season by using tactics that were basically unknown to man at the time. Using a positionless system to break down defenses and prioritizing shooting from beyond the arc just seemed like it was impossible to realistically implement in the long term.
Feb 12, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) attempts a three point shot over Dallas Mavericks guard Klay Thompson (31) during the second quarter at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
But they did, having the most 3-pointers attempted in the country and the best success rate by a mile. The revolution was led by Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, who were absolute freaks at shooting from the outside. “Sometimes we just freestyle a little bit, freestyle within what the coach will allow us to do,” Draymond Green had said. It’s not like their defense was leaking, as they were one of the best defenses in the league. They made their mark by taking switching — the act of trading defensive assignments once screened — to a new, extreme level. Just like the Beatles, they changed the game to a whole new level.
Now, the Indiana Fever have a player just like Curry in 2015-16, capable of hitting those three-pointers consistently. The off-the-ball movement and insane passing are big characteristics of her game too. 2024 was just a trailer; even if she was very impressive, she was still learning the ropes of the league. She was that good despite that and we can expect her to be better. Clark has Kelsey Mitchell to be her Klay Thompson. We also saw Sophie Cunningham take on point guard duties in the game against the Mystics, which opens the door for her and Caitlin Clark to share the floor while alternating roles. This flexibility eases the defensive burden on Clark, allowing her to conserve energy and focus more on scoring.
Sep 25, 2024; Uncasville, Connecticut, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) shoots during the first half against the Connecticut Sun during game two of the first round of the 2024 WNBA Playoffs at Mohegan Sun Arena. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images
With the added transfers, they have a strengthened roster; they have the ability to match the Warriors and Curry in their prime years. And he will be the first one to congratulate them, as the three-point man has shown his admiration towards Clark. “I love what [Clark] has done for women’s basketball in terms of when she shows up, the seats are filled and there’s a different energy,” Curry said last year. He had also praised her shooting ability but mentioned that it masks the other aspects of her game that are just as impressive.
Adding on to all the numbers and statistics, Sohi also mentioned a key part of the Golden State Warriors in 2015-16, saying, “And they just became this huge national story and everybody just gravitated towards them because of the word that I keep saying. Fun. They’re just so fun.”
That same principle applies to the current Indiana Fever. Talk to any WNBA fan, and they’ll describe the Fever’s style with one word: fun. It’s an undeniably attractive brand of basketball. Sure, the stats tell a compelling story, but it’s the eye test that seals it. You watch them play, and you feel the joy radiating from the court. We keep seeing the newer WNBA fans flocking towards the Fever, as they are just the most enjoyable team to watch. Even without a championship, fans will continue to get behind the Indiana Fever simply because of how they play. Like the Golden State Warriors in their early rise, it’s the style—the flair, the ball movement, the sheer joy—that keeps people watching.
How Style and Flair Are Fueling a Fever Fanbase Revolution
The comparisons don’t stop at just on-court play either; the Fever are inciting the bug of WNBA among millions. The WNBA did not even telecast preseason games till this year but they had to because the demand was just too much. ESPN’s telecast of the Fever vs. Brazil game was watched by more than a million viewers. They had 15,000 fans packing the arena for a preseason game with an average ticket price of $650, the highest for a WNBA game since 2015 The Indiana Fever have an average attendance that is almost double the league average.
Chicago, USA, June 23, 2024: Caitlin Clark 22 Indiana Fever signs autographs for fans before the game between the Chicago Sky and Indiana Fever on Sunday June 23, 2024 at Wintrust Arena, Chicago, USA. NO COMMERCIAL USAGE Shaina Benhiyoun/SPP PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxBRAxMEX Copyright: xShainaxBenhiyoun/SPPx spp-en-ShBe-8P6A6346
In 2024, Clark was responsible for 26.5% of the WNBA’s economic activity, encompassing ticket sales, merchandise, and media rights. Her Indiana Fever jersey became the top-selling WNBA jersey of the year and ranked second overall in basketball jersey sales, just behind Stephen Curry. Such domination is unprecedented, even from a player like Curry. When he entered the NBA in 2008, he could not get his foothold immediately. It took winning MVPs and rings to become as popular as he is. Of course it is not a fair comparison, as the NBA has a larger pool of players and stars as compared to the WNBA. The WNBA is still in its nascent stages of development and Caitlin is accelerating it.
Now, the magic of the Fever and the Clark will be watched by more viewers in the coming season, with a record 41 games being nationally televised. To be honest, people would have even hopped on streaming sites to watch Caitlin the way the wind is blowing but nationally televised games are great to reel in newer viewers. There will be people who will turn to basketball only because of this team. All this pull without winning a title—imagine what will happen when they do. And this year or next year, it looks like they probably will.
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