Previous to the commerce deadline, some followers had been calling for the Indiana Fever (13-15) to make a transfer involving Lexie Hull, Katie Lou Samuelson or each. Hull has simply began one sport this season and her minutes are considerably down compared to the earlier season, whereas Samuelson misplaced her beginning spot to Olympic bronze-medalist Kristy Wallace for a major a part of the season.
As an alternative of GM Lin Dunn, it was Caitlin Clark who determined to behave, occurring a trip to Mexico with Hull and Samuelson in the course of the Olympic break. Did the transfer work? Hull made 6-of-7 of 3-pointers within the within the win over the Seattle Storm on Sunday, Aug. 18 as she scored a career-high 22 factors. Samuelson, in distinction, has made 1-of-7 of her area purpose makes an attempt within the two video games because the break, so there’s some room for enchancment. However Hull, aside from being among the best defenders on the staff this season, has added “long-distance menace” to her resume. And nobody has been happier about it than Clark.
That is now a Lexie Hull fan account
— Caitlin Clark (@CaitlinClark22) August 18, 2024
Talking of which, Clark set one other document, this time for many assists by a rookie with 232 (and counting). The previous document of 224 stood for 26 years and was set by Ticha Penicheiro, who wanted 30 video games and a mean of seven.5 dimes per contest. Clark has been averaging 8.3 assists per sport and performed in 28 video games thus far. Aside from stellar passing, she scored 29 factors within the win over the Phoenix Mercury on Friday, Aug. 16, whereas she scored 23 factors in opposition to the Storm. She’s now the staff’s main scorer with 17.8 factors per sport.
Shut behind her is Kelsey Mitchell with 17.7 factors per sport. Mitchell’s contract expires after the season. Will she depart the one WNBA staff she has ever performed for? Seven years into her profession, she’s but to look in a single playoff sport. When speaking to Chloe Peterson of the Indianapolis Star, Dunn pointed to that as one of many deciding components as as to whether Mitchell will keep in Indy:
When the season’s over, we’ll sit down and speak concerning the future, You recognize, I need Kelsey to be pleased, and I need her to really feel like she will be able to obtain all of the targets that she has right here, however that continues to be to be seen, you realize, primarily based on the experiences she’s already had up to now.
What’s subsequent for the Fever?
An undefeated 2-0 because the post-Olympic resumption of play, the Fever will play 5 video games over the subsequent seven days, 4 of them away from residence.
First, on Saturday, Aug. 24, they play the Lynx in Minnesota. On Monday, Aug. 26, they’ll be in Atlanta going through the Dream. Then, it’s again residence in Indianapolis on Wednesday, Aug. 28 to fulfill the Connecticut Solar (and Celeste Taylor in her first sport again after being reduce). They’ll write one other chapter of their rivalry with the Sky in Chicago on Friday, Aug. 30. The stretch will finish on Sunday, Sept. 1 in Dallas in opposition to the unpredictable Wings.
