Expectations were sky-high for Caitlin Clark, one of the most dominant collegiate athletes we've ever seen, in her rookie season with the Indiana Fever. She delivered for the most part, but fell short in one major way: The Fever made the WNBA playoffs as a No. 6 seed, but were swept by the Connecticut Sun in the first-round best-of-three series. After that early exit, Clark has higher expectations for the 2025 campaign.
When asked what success looks like, all she said was two simple words: "a championship." It's championship or bust for the Fever, at least in Clark's mind.
Are these expectations realistic? That can be debated, but you have to love her confidence.
Caitlin Clark's championship or bust mentality is exactly what WNBA fans should want to see
While the Fever are unlikely to be viewed as preseason favorites to win the WNBA championship, there's reason to believe they're going to be much better than the .500 team that they were in the 2024-25 campaign.
First and foremost, Clark is going to be entering her second WNBA season following her historic rookie year. Clark won the WNBA's Rookie of the Year award after averaging 19.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 8.4 assists and 1.3 steals per game for Indiana. She even placed fourth in the MVP balloting as a rookie, which is absurd. Sure, the Fever failed to win a playoff game, but considering the fact that they went just 13-27 the season prior, it wasn't hard to notice her impact.
Clark figures to only be better in her sophomore season, and the Fever also made several moves to surround her with as much talent as they could. Indiana made a pair of major free agency splashes by signing both Natasha Howard and DeWanna Bonner. They also made a pair of under-the-radar moves by acquiring Sophie Cunningham via trade and signing Sydney Colson in free agency.
Clark is obviously the focal point, but adding these players to a core that already included a pair of All-Stars in Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston makes the Fever deeper and much tougher to play against.
Winning a championship is easier said than done. The Fever doing so would require Clark taking a leap, and the new acquisitions fitting in seamlessly. While that might not be seen as likely, it isn't impossible. Clark being as motivated as she is to win it all has to have Fever fans fired up for what's to come.