Caitlin Clark’s difficult night against the Portland Fire continues to fuel debate around the Indiana Fever. The star guard was held to six points and six assists, got into foul trouble, and found herself in a heated sideline exchange with head coach Stephanie White before briefly being replaced by rookie Raven Johnson. While both Clark and White have downplayed the incident, the loss, Clark’s defensive struggles, and Indiana’s uneven start have kept the conversation alive, with one analyst now proposing a bold lineup change.

“I’m curious because I don’t know if it’s going to be Caitlin doing it for Caitlin. I think an external event has to happen—Raven Johnson starts,” The Athletic’s Zena Keita proposed on ‘No Offseason’ podcast.

In theory, Johnson could start in place of Clark. The point guard is already dealing with her lower back injury, which the Fever is “managing.” She is on the injury report for every game since the WNBA warning and is seen with a belt during breaks. In addition, a broadcaster during the Fire game also revealed Stephanie White in a key aspect of her game. 

According to the on-air comments, White believes the team is faster when Johnson is on the court. This season so far, that is statistically true. The Indiana Fever have a pace of 85 possessions per 40 minutes with Clark, while with Johnson, they have 87.15 possessions per 40 minutes. However, Johnson’s sample size is just 97 minutes compared to Clark’s 184. 

Yet, that suggestion immediately provoked a response from Sabreena Merchant, who refuted the idea.

“I literally cannot imagine Raven Johnson entering the starting lineup unless it comes at the expense of Lexie Hull,” she said.

Keita is proposing an event that would remind Clark that she is not bigger than the team. 

“I feel you. I’m just giving you an example of a canon-type event that would need to occur for Caitlin to be like, “I am not the birthday, as the kids would say these days.” I am not the main event. I am a member of a team,” Keita said. 

But Clark has never suggested otherwise in any way. White explained that Clark is a coachable player who wants to build on her talent. After the Fire game, Clark admitted her faults on the defensive end and committed to improving them. “I wanna win. This team wants to win. And I’m the point guard, so it’s on me to help this team and this franchise win,” Clark said. 

In addition, Clark had a one-off game. She averages 20.1 points and a league-leading 8.1 assists per game while adding 4 rebounds and a steal per game. With a +/- of 3.4, she is third on the team in that metric.

Moreover, while outside voices question Clark, the locker room message is unified.

Kelsey Mitchell Opens Up on Relying on Caitlin Clark, Sophie Cunningham Amid Team Struggles

The Indiana Fever are only 0.500, but the red flags raised will make some feel like they have not won a game. The fact of the matter is, the Fever are not performing to expectations. With Caitlin Clark, Kelsey Mitchell, Aliyah Boston, and the rest of the roster they have, the Fever should be picking up pace for a top 3 seed. 

Instead, they are struggling to gain any sort of momentum. Mitchell admitted to the team’s underperformance but made clear that the team is united in the face of adversity. 

“I like to think that we all hang our hats on honesty. Hopefully, the last couple of games and the last week or so have been about being honest about where you are because you don’t have a lot of time,” Mitchell said. “But also embrace the fact that you’re doing it with other people. I get to do it with Soph next to me and CC next to me, so you’re not alone. Those parts feel good, but as a pro, you know that you don’t have a lot of time.”

Even Stephanie White said that Clark was better at the one-on-ones than the narratives suggest. Clark, in turn, publicly backed White. They have lost 3 out of their 4 games in the final possessions and are the highest-scoring offense in the league. It’s still very early in the season for the Fever fans to lose hope.