WNBA camps are open and Caitlin Clark season – love her or leave her – is about to be in full session. Expect those fringe fans who lived off of drama and pitting Clark against Angel Reese and a host of others as the driving theme to the season, to reappear after a long hiatus, ready to defend their WNBA queen and the throne.
Indiana Fever Among WNBA Title Favorites
Despite the optimism for Chicago, all eyes are on the Indiana Fever and new head coach Stephanie White. Fans were very critical of former coach Christie Sides and the way she “handled” Clark early in the season and her overall management of a team, who to her credit, went from among the worst to the sixth-seed, winning 20 games.
WNBA analysts and Vegas think that the Indiana Fever’s free agent haul was the best in basketball and elevated Clark’s team to contenders. Notable additions include all-time great DeWanna Bonner, Sydney Colson, Sophie Cunningham and another all-time player in Natasha Howard.
Toughness and veteran leadership shouldn’t be a problem for this team, allowing the WNBA’s No 1 backcourt of Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell to cause offensive destruction on teams.
Indiana Fever Roster Has Experience: 2nd Shortest Odds To Win WNBA Title
Last season’s roster had 19 combined games of playoff experience. This year’s has 179.
“I’m really excited,” Caitlin Clark said of the Fever’s veteran additions after Bonner’s introductory press conference. “They know what it takes to win, they know what it takes to get to the Finals, they know what it takes to win championships. I think it’s exactly what we needed.”
With offensive firepower rivaling any team in the WNBA, the Fever will have to make huge strides on defense in order to be serious championship contenders.
All of the Fever’s new arrivals bring a specialization, element of toughness and versatility on the defensive end.
According to ESPN Women, Clark is the odds on favorite to win the MVP in her second season at (+200).She has the second shortest odds to lead the league in points per game (+425), and the Fever at +350m have the second shortest odds to win the WNBA title.
Social Media Reacts To Caitlin Clark MVP Odds
Another Betting line showed A’ja Wilson as the leader at +250 and Clark second (+200).
The CC supporters were deep.
“CC MVP for sure,” said one fan.
Other weren’t as optimistic and offered conspiracy theories on why she won’t win the award
“Let’s hope the black women in media let the MVP competition be fair and don’t start the MVP Asa campaign like in 2024 prior to one game played,” said one fan.
“No worries. The power that be will never let her win,” said another.
Caitlin Clark Bulks Up For MVP and Championship Run
ESPN reporter Alexa Philippou was live at Fever training and said a huge focus for Caitlin Clark this offseason was getting stronger.
“She actually said that she can feel the difference already. She was in market most of this offseason and able to focus on that…working on her midrange game to her floaters and as different teammates on the newer side started to come in, she could also start to get those reps with them,” the reporter said. “This offseason was all about rest and relaxation.”
Clark limited her brand promotion to an appearance at the Masters but other than that she was totally locked in.
Angel Reese and Chicago Sky Look To Move Into WNBA Top Tier
Angel Reese had a busy offseason, keeping fans locked on her social media, cutting more brand deals and showing up at all of the hot spots. Reese is also coming off an inaugural Unrivaled League championship and her wrist injury is healing. Chicago Sky have made some key additions to a squad that failed to make the playoffs last season, led by two rookies in Reese and Kamilla Cardoso. They also had a rookie coach in Teresa Weatherspoon. With a mix of veteran signings and strategic trades, the team aims to get their weight up this season.
After finishing with the third-worst record in the WNBA, Chicago kicks off their 2025 training camp with high expectations after adding scoring guard Hailey Van Lith in the draft to address a problem on offense and replace leading scorer Chennedy Carter.
Chicago Sky Adds Veterans To Young Stars: Vandersloot Comes Home
Guards Courtney Vandersloot and Ariel Atkins were also added, giving them veterans to help harness, organize and direct the young stars. Additionally, Chicago added sharp-shooting Kia Nurse and Rebecca Allen to help improve floor spacing
RELATED: NY Liberty Draft Pick Kia Nurse Is Here For Bright Lights Of MSG
Vandersloot returns to the team that drafted the star out of Gonzaga in 2011, winning a championship in 2021. She won another with the NY Liberty in 2024, so she brings a certain pedigree to the mix. One slice of bad news is that first-round draft pick Ajsa Sivka will not play in the WNBA during the 2025 season.
In an interview with Slovenian media outlet Siol.net, Ajsa Sivka explained that her current priority is representing Slovenia at EuroBasket. “I’ll probably go to Chicago next year. We had meetings with teams before the draft, and I told them I likely wouldn’t be available this season. They accepted it without any issues,” said the 19-year-old, who did attend the WNBA Draft.
Buckle up for Angel Reese vs. Caitlin Clark Part 2, and plenty of other scenarios involving Clark, one of the most polarizing figures in the sports world.
