Caitlin Clark has cleared the questions surrounding her basketball future. On Thursday, the Iowa star declared for the 2024 WNBA Draft.
Clark’s announcement blindsided the masses ahead of her final regular-season game at Iowa. The electrifying guard is set to pass Pete Maravich as the NCAA Division-I all-time leading scorer on Saturday before competing in the Big Ten and NCAA Tournament.
Leading all of women’s D-I college basketball with 32.2 points and 8.7 assists per game, Clark is the type of prolific playmaker who is almost certain to be selected No. 1 overall in the WNBA Draft.
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As winners of the 2024 WNBA Draft lottery, the Indiana Fever are on the clock, and it just so happens that Clark’s skill set fits perfectly with franchise player and 2023 Rookie of the Year Aliyah Boston.
What else is there to know about Clark’s likely WNBA team? The Sporting News breaks down the Fever’s roster, 2023 record, and more below.
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Indiana Fever 2023 record
The Fever finished the 2023 season with a 13-27 record, which was actually only the third worst in the league.
However, since the WNBA combines each team’s record from the previous two seasons to determine the draft lottery odds, Indiana still had the best chance to land the No. 1 pick with a league-worst 18-58 mark over 2022 and ’23.
Reigning Rookie of the Year Aliyah Boston was the good luck charm that the Fever needed her to be, serving as as Indiana’s representative at the draft lottery back in December.
MORE: Check out the complete 2024 WNBA Draft order
Indiana Fever roster
| No. | Player | Age | Position | Height | School/Country |
| 34 | Grace Berger | 24 | G | 6-0 | Indiana |
| 7 | Aliyah Boston | 22 | F/C | 6-5 | South Carolina |
| 11 | Maya Caldwell | 25 | G | 5-11 | Georgia |
| 12 | Damiris Dantas | 31 | F | 6-3 | Brazil |
| 14 | Temi Fagbenie | 31 | C | 6-4 | USC |
| 10 | Lexi Hull | 24 | G | 6-1 | Stanford |
| 0 | Kelsey Mitchell | 28 | G | 5-8 | Ohio State |
| 33 | Katie Lou Samuelson | 26 | F | 6-3 | UConn |
| 5 | Victaria Saxton | 24 | F | 6-2 | South Carolina |
| 1 | NaLyssa Smith | 23 | F | 6-4 | Baylor |
| 35 | Victoria Vivians | 29 | G | 6-1 | Mississippi St. |
| 3 | Kristy Wallace | 28 | G | 5-11 | Baylor |
| 17 | Erica Wheeler | 32 | G | 5-7 | Rutgers |
| 42 | Amanda Zhaui B. | 30 | C | 6-5 | Sweden |
The Fever’s roster is headlined by Boston, who averaged 14.5 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.3 blocks during her rookie season. The 2023 No. 1 overall pick earned an All-Star selection in her first season in addition to being named Rookie of the Year.
Kelsey Mitchell joined Boston on the All-Star team as Indiana’s leading scorer, averaging 18.2 points per game. NaLyssa Smith enjoyed a breakout season in which she averaged 15.5 points and a team-high 9.2 rebounds.
The Fever’s biggest offseason acquisition was Katie Lou Samuelson, who was the No. 4 overall pick in the 2019 WNBA Draft out of UConn.
MORE: What women’s basketball legends have said about Caitlin Clark’s WNBA future
It didn’t take long for the Fever — and their players — to catch wind of the news that Clark declared for the draft.
The franchise’s X page, formerly known as Twitter, posted “No. 1” with an hourglass emoji moments after Clark’s announcement.
Veteran guard Erica Wheeler claims she’s already receiving ticket requests from friends and family, while Boston was prepping for her next braid color.
Clark somewhat acknowledged her future, liking the Fever’s cryptic post just after she declared.
How does Caitlin Clark fit with Fever, Aliyah Boston
Clark is one of the best scorers and passers NCAA women’s basketball has ever seen. She has improved her playmaking averages in all four seasons at Iowa, posting 28.3 points and 8.1 assists per game for her career.
Where Clark separates herself from other scorers is her limitless range. Clark is averaging 5.4 3-pointers as a senior, converting 13.6 (!) attempts per game at an efficient 39.5 percent clip.
Since she’s in range almost the moment she steps over halfcourt, that will only extend opposing defenses to free up space for her teammates.
Mitchell — who has averaged over 18 points per game over the past two seasons while shooting 40.3 percent from 3 in that span — will receive less defensive attention than ever before.
Boston was already a problem in the paint as a scorer and rebounder during her rookie season, and now, she’ll only have more room to operate. Opponents won’t have the option to send double teams her way as often with two shooters like Clark and Mitchell on the perimeter.
Back in November, Boston and Clark entertained the possibility of being future teammates. The topic came up when Boston, who has been working as a broadcaster for Big Ten Network in the offseason, interviewed the Iowa star.
“Well, the Indiana Fever could have the first pick, so maybe we’ll have the duo,” Clark said. “I don’t know. Remains to be seen. But me and Aliyah might be teammates at some point, you never know.
“We were teammates before, so maybe we’ll have to reconnect,” Clark continued, referring to their time together on Team USA.
“Exactly,” Boston replied.
Now, the Fever just have to wait until they are officially on the clock on April 15th to make it happen.
