Fair or not, professional sports are measured by wins and losses, with championships being the highest measure of success. For the Indiana Fever and star guard Caitlin Clark, the time has come not just to make the playoffs or make a run, but to put it together for a shot at the WNBA title.
Entering the 2026 WNBA season, the Fever are sitting pretty in the early ESPN Power Rankings and preview of the season, holding the No. 4 spot, behind the Las Vegas Aces, New York Liberty, and Atlanta Dream.
Indiana Fever strength and weakness
Putting the Fever in that spot is a mix of strengths and weaknesses that are showing up on both ends of the floor. Offensively, Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell are simply elite. Both of these two are legitimate MVP candidates and should be able to infuse this offense with talent and production.
Conversely, the defensive end has to improve. The Fever can score, but getting into track meets each night isn’t a sustainable recipe for success over an entire season. These two areas are among the Fever’s biggest strength and biggest concerns.
Biggest strength: The backcourt. The combination of Mitchell and Clark is as talented a guard tandem as there is in the league. Both were All-Stars last season, and that’s despite Clark playing just 13 games. Mitchell finished No. 5 in MVP voting in 2025 and posted a career-high 20.2 points per game. Clark was No. 4 in the 2024 MVP voting as a rookie as she set the single-season league record for assists and finished with the second-most 3-point field goals in a single season. The Aces’ Gray and Young are really the only duo who could be ranked higher entering 2026.
Biggest concern: Defense. The Fever ranked No. 8 in points allowed per game (81.5) last season and No. 9 in opponent’s field goal percentage (44.9). As dynamic as that backcourt is offensively, Clark and Mitchell are not considered top-notch defenders. Aliyah Boston was an all-league defender in 2025 and Cunningham is an annoying presence on the defensive end. The additions of Raven Johnson, Monique Billings and Shatori Walker-Kimbrough should help on that end of the court. – ESPN
Caitlin Clark’s 2026 outlook
As far as storylines, would you expect it to be anything different than Caitlin Clark? She is a transcendent athlete in women’s basketball and globally across all sectors. She doesn’t just make the WNBA’s needle move; she is the entire needle.
After a 2025 season that saw her plagued with injuries, she enters 2026 healthy and ready to go, which has her, expectedly, among the biggest storylines for the Indiana Fever.
The thing we’ll be talking about most this season: Isn’t it always Clark? How will more time playing off the ball work out? Were all of the 2025 injuries a fluke? Her shooting percentages dropped last season, though in just a 13-game sample. Will those climb back to her rookie averages or did the league figure out a way to make her less effective? Like it or not, Clark dominates headlines and she’ll remain one of the most talked about players in the league in 2026. – ESPN
Indiana Fever predictions, expectations
Once it’s all put together, what’s it look like for the Indiana Fever? They have Caitlin Clark, Aliyah Boston, Kelsey Mitchell, and the supporting cast to make some noise. Of the three household names, which of the bunch is the go-to player this year?
If the Fever can stay healthy and get things clicking early, the reality is that anything less than a championship feels like a letdown and disappointment. The pressure is something Caitlin Clark dealt with at Iowa her entire career and thrived in.
One (realistic) bold prediction: Boston emerges as the MVP contender ahead of Clark and Mitchell. Last season, she was tied for sixth in MVP voting, made her first All-Defensive team, first All-WNBA team and earned a third consecutive All-Star appearance. There’s going to be a ton of attention on those two guards and Boston should be the beneficiary. The 2023 No. 1 pick has never averaged fewer than 8.2 rebounds per game. Averaging a double-double is possible.
What does a successful season look like? A championship. That’s the bottom-line goal for the Fever. A deep playoff run would be nice and all, but this team is built to win now. — Copeland
The Indiana Fever get their 2026 campaign started this Saturday, May 9, at home inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana, when they host the Dallas Wings.
The matchup is set to begin at 12 p.m. ET and will be airing on ABC.
Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes and opinions. Follow Riley on X: @rileydonald7
This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire : Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever enter WNBA season with championship hopes
Reporting by Riley Donald, Hawkeyes Wire / Hawkeyes Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
