The Indiana Fever rebuilding plan could be complete following Caitlin Clark’s decision to turn pro

Lin Dunn made it clear last summer that the Indiana Fever had no shot at the top overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft. And the struggling franchise didn’t, finishing 10th out of 12 teams with promising futures regardless of their lottery draw or which players entered the draft.

Instead, the stars aligned for the Fever general manager. In December, the Fever won their second consecutive No. 1 pick in the lottery. And on Thursday, Caitlin Clark said she would forgo her extra year of NCAA eligibility, allowed under COVID-19 guidelines, and turn pro next season. She is 18 points shy of Pete Maravich’s record, which she will likely do in Sunday’s regular-season finale.

It was an expected, but not guaranteed, decision, and one that represents a near-perfect scenario for all parties. Assuming the Fever select her first, Clark will remain in the Midwest, a short drive from the rabid Iowa fans who have sold out arenas across the country. The WNBA will be acquiring a made-for-home TV marketing giant that they’ve never had before. And, most importantly for everyone, the Fever will pair a generational point guard with a generational post to become a quality long-term prospect.

Clark grew up in West Des Moines, Iowa, and attended Minnesota Lynx games as a child since it was closer. The Lynx, Fever and Chicago Sky are all within about a four to six hour drive, making it easy for the Iowa fans who have embraced the home star they honorably cut into butter for the Iowa State Fair. It’s no further than many Big Ten opponents. Fans traveled to Seattle and Dallas to watch Clark lead Iowa’s magical run to the title game last year and sell out the Carver Hawkeye Arena with season ticket sales. They line up for hours at the road races begging for her autograph.

That fan fervor won’t stop just because Clark is in the WNBA, and there’s the added benefit of the league getting a sneak peek in May after the NCAA Tournament. Attendance is up across the league, but there is still room to grow in a place like Indianapolis.

According to Across the Timeline, The Fever ranked second in last-place attendance in 2023, with an average of 4,067 fans. Dunn told Yahoo Sports last summer that she wants to see an increase to 6,000 this year as the franchise gets closer to the 8,000 it regularly averaged in the 2010s. Indiana won its only WNBA title in 2012 with Hall of Famer Tamika Catchings.

Veteran guard Erica Wheeler hinted at a possible increase in ticket sales within an hour of Clark’s announcement.

The league already realized this week that sooner or later it would have to devolve into Clark mania. It was announced on Wednesday that the draft will take place in front of fans for the first time since 2016. Tickets go on sale on March 7.

“As the official start of the WNBA season, we knew the 2024 WNBA Draft presented by State Farm would need to be transformed into a larger, fan-focused event to celebrate the incredible talent ready to enter the draft” , WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a release in a direct nod to Clark’s appeal.

Clark is the biggest name to enter the league because she is the first with name, image and likeness deals that reach a broader audience than just sports. She has been featured in national State Farm commercials and at the center of Nike banners in New York City’s Times Square. Her quest for the scoring crowns has been featured on every major news channel.

That name recognition didn’t exist for superstars like Maya Moore or Candace Parker, because they couldn’t sign endorsement deals until after they left college. Clark has an edge that the WNBA — which focuses on building household names — has never seen before in draft picks. Clark will retain most, if not all, of his NIL deals at the professional level.

As exciting as Clark’s play is, fans eager to see her will only stick around for so long if the on-field product isn’t good. The Fever and WNBA shouldn’t have that problem. This Indiana squad has the talent to reach the playoffs and could compete in games with the “superteam” trio of the Las Vegas Aces, New York Liberty and Seattle Storm.

Indiana (13-27) just played its best season since 2019 and only its second since 2016, winning games by double digits. Aliyah Boston, the 2023 No. 1 overall pick out of South Carolina, won unanimous Rookie of the Year honors and played in the All-Star game with veteran guard Kelsey Mitchell.

Pairing Clark, a 6-foot-4 point guard whose court vision is overshadowed by deep triples, with Boston is reminiscent of her three years with center Monika Czinano at Iowa, when the duo dominated opponents. They also have NaLyssa Smith, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2022 WNBA Draft, in the frontcourt.

Clark and Boston faced off in the 2023 Final Four when Iowa upset then-undefeated South Carolina. And Boston spent the NCAA regular season in the Peacock studio for Big Ten games, regularly interviewing Clark on air postgame.

The pairing of Clark and Mitchell in the backcourt is even more interesting. Mitchell ranks third on the all-time NCAA women’s scoring list at Ohio State with 3,402 points. She has been in the top 10 the past four WNBA seasons. The Fever’s offense ranked seventh last year (81 ppg) after finishing last in 2022 and finishing second in five of the last seven. That average will increase with Clark at the helm, as will their assists average (18.0), which ranks second as of 2021.

It was the improvement Dunn wanted to see in the Fever. Now the final year of her three-year plan has arrived. Things are off to a good start for Clark, about six weeks after hoisting the Indiana jersey in front of even more roaring fans at the draft.