Just five months after selecting Caitlin Clark first overall, the Indiana Fever ended a seven-year playoff drought and are just 2.5 games behind the Seattle Storm, fifth in the WNBA standings. There’s no doubt that Clark’s arrival allowed the Fever, which already had a strong core of key players like Kelsey Mitchell, Aliyah Boston and NaLyssa Smith, to take control. And despite the Fever’s strong showing this season, two-time NBA All-Star and 2014 Defensive Player of the Year Joakim Noah believes the Fever made a crucial mistake with Clark this season: They failed to put some muscle in the line for him. that of the hits he received in 36 games. “If I had Indiana fever, I’d have a real workhorse protecting it,” Noah told Fox News Digital. “Sometimes I feel like he’s getting hit because he’s a very talented person.” But at the end of the day, our job is to win games, so if I’m the owner [of the Fever], I have a real workhorse. » Clark has committed several flagrant fouls this season (most notably against the Chicago Sky) and has been the target of some questionable hits from opposing players, leading some to worry about a potential injury. Clark was the target of 16 percent of the WNBA’s total flagrant fouls (five of 31). After Sky rookie Angel Reese announced Saturday that he suffered a season-ending wrist injury, those concerns are likely to grow as Clark, who has played at an MVP level since the Olympic break, draws more attention. while playing better.