Three Atlanta players on All-Defensive teams. Three. Do you know how many Indiana had? Zero. And we've said that number on this show often enough that I'd like to retire it. Retire it by signing a defender, and I'll stop bringing it up. It's Tuesday, November 3rd, and you're listening to the Indiana Fever Daily Podcast. I'm Cera, here with Joey. Today: what the Dream's Finals run says about Indiana's roster, Raven Johnson's offseason work, a San Francisco columnist on Clark and the Valkyries, and Clark's book, which comes out today. Hit follow and you won't have to come looking for the next episode.
Grant Young, writing Monday for Indiana Fever On SI:
Therefore, this is more about Atlanta having elite individual defenders as opposed to being a much better defensive team than the Fever. Having these lockdown defenders is critical during crunch time and can be the difference between winning and losing if one of these players can come up with a steal during a pivotal possession.
Crunch time. That's my whole life, Cera. That's every Fever loss I've yelled at. Here's the setup. On Sunday he looked at Golden State's defense. This time it's the team they beat. Angel Reese and Rhyne Howard made All-Defensive First Team, Jordin Canada made Second Team, and Reese was Defensive Player of the Year. Those three also finished one, two and three in the league in steals per game. Howard at 2.3, Canada 1.9, Reese 1.8. And the part that surprised me is that the team numbers aren't that far apart. Right, and Young's honest about it. Atlanta led the league with 8.3 steals a game. Indiana was third at 7. On points off turnovers, the Dream were second at 18 and the Fever fourth at 16.7. So his argument isn't that Indiana is a bad defensive team. It's that it doesn't have a defender you can put on the other team's best scorer in the last two minutes. Which used to be Lexie's job. He says exactly that. Hull was the one Indiana relied on for those plays, and he writes that she regressed this year, on defense and everywhere else. His suggested fix is Jackie Young, an unrestricted free agent he calls a lockdown perimeter defender. But he frames it as an option if Kelsey Mitchell doesn't re-sign. So it's Jackie instead of Kelsey, not Jackie as well as Kelsey. That's a real fork in the road. It's one writer's roadmap, and nobody's reported Indiana is looking at her. Remember there's still no general manager to make that call. Young admits it's easy to say all this in hindsight. But it's the most specific version yet of the defense argument we've been following all month. I hate how much sense it makes. And I'm still keeping Kelsey.
Speaking of perimeter defense, there may be an answer already on the roster. From Athlon Sports, on Raven Johnson's offseason:
Johnson has been training with player development coach Chris Hyppa, working mostly on her ball-handling, movement and shooting.
Shooting. Thank you. That's the one. The rookie numbers explain why. Over her first 22 games she played 14.7 minutes and averaged 4.3 points. Over the next 17, her minutes dropped to six a night. Then Ty Harris got hurt, Johnson's role grew in the playoffs, and she averaged 7.3 points across the three games against Las Vegas. She was out of the rotation and then trusted in a playoff series. That's a weird rookie year. A nonlinear one, as you'd say. She's also working with strength coach Luka Hocevar, who posted video of her on Monday doing band-resisted lateral jumps. His line was that she's getting twitchier, faster, stronger and more resilient every week. Twitchier. I love a trainer who talks like that. Athlon's read lines up with what we heard last month. They call her a remarkable defender already and say the offense left a lot to be desired. Back in October, SI floated developing her into a three-and-D wing, and this is what that work looks like. She's 23, she guards, and she's working on her jumper in October. If the shot comes around, that's a cheap answer to the exact problem Grant Young just described. If. It's a few weeks of workout clips. But it's the right list of things to be working on.
Now a view from the champions' city. Kerry Crowley, sports editor at The San Francisco Standard, writing Monday:
Clark’s 2024 debut with the Indiana Fever made people care about the WNBA. A year later, the league welcomed as its 13th franchise the Golden State Valkyries, who care about the fans as much as the fans care about the team.
Okay, that's a compliment, but there's a little dig in it too. There's a contrast, at least. Crowley gives Clark full credit. He calls her a catalyst behind the TV ratings that helped get the new collective bargaining agreement done and pushed salaries way up. But his column is about what Golden State built. Sold out every home game in two seasons, and CNBC valued them at a billion dollars, the first women's sports franchise to get there. And the on-court part sounds familiar after the first story. It does. He writes that Natalie Nakase had two nonnegotiables for her players. Relentless defense, and selflessness. He lists Kaila Charles, who was cut five times before starting in the Finals, and Kiah Stokes, waived once and a starter now. I'll be honest, that's the part that stings. Indiana has the attention. Golden State has the identity. And his line about kids is pointed. Twelve-year-olds can't pull up from thirty feet, he says, but they can copy Veronica Burton's leadership. Burton posted Monday about her first title, and Athlon's Paolo Songco caught two Fever replies. Clark commented one word, dawg. Hull wrote, earned this. Dawg. That's the most Caitlin review possible. Good for Burton, and I mean that through gritted teeth.
And finally, Clark's busy week. Josh Bode, reporting for WISH-TV in Indianapolis:
Clark is promoting her new children’s book, “EXTRAordinary! A Little EXTRA to Reach BIG Dreams.” The book is set to be released on Tuesday.
That Tuesday is today. Release day. We flagged the Good Morning America appearance yesterday, and that's this morning. Athlon adds that she's also scheduled for NBC's Today show today, and then The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Friday, November 6th. Two morning shows in one day. That's a back-to-back. The title comes from home. Athlon says it's based on a quote on a mirror in her childhood house: the difference between ordinary and extraordinary is the little extra. The book is about perseverance, teamwork, self-belief and the people who help kids chase their dreams. Teamwork in a Caitlin Clark book. Somebody tell the people who think she's a one-woman show. And she hasn't forgotten Iowa. On Monday, before the Hawkeyes opened against Towson, the team got player-exclusive Caitlin 1s in an Iowa colorway. Clark shared the team's video on her story and commented, so fire, with a whole lot of extra E's. Shoes, a book, a late-night spot. I just want her covered for the basketball too. But fine, this week she's an author. Last season was a career-best 22.3 points and 8.3 assists and a second All-WNBA First Team. The basketball case covers itself.
Here's one for you. Today's stories handed Indiana two different models. Atlanta has stopper defenders, and Golden State has its culture. Which one should the next GM copy first? Email us at indianafeverdailyfancast at lantern podcasts dot com. And if your answer is both, tell me who you're cutting to pay for it.
So, homework for the front office. Find a stopper, keep Kelsey, and buy Raven a shooting machine. And hire a general manager first. We'll be back tomorrow, Wednesday, with whatever moves on that search. The Indiana Fever Daily Podcast comes to you from Lantern Podcasts. I'm Cera, Joey's been with me, and take care.