Caitlin Clark Names Indiana Fever's Best Defender Without Hesitation
Caitlin Clark Names Indiana Fever's Best Defender Without Hesitation originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
There is no doubt that Caitlin Clark has been the driving force for the Indiana Fever throughout this season. A testament to this fact is how the Fever struggled without their best player on the court during her recent three-week injury layoff, losing three out of five games.
Advertisement
At the same time, however, there's also no denying that Clark has a formidable supporting cast around her. The Fever know that the 23-year-old can't do it all by herself, which is why they've surrounded her with a squad that is ready to go to battle with her.
If you ask Clark, there is no doubt in her mind that Lexie Hull is one of the most important players on the team. In fact, the reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year named Hull as the Fever's best defender without any hesitation.
"I think the game is completely different when Lexie is on the floor," Clark said. "Her energy, her tenacity, the way she affects the game, whether she's scoring or whether she's not.
"She's our best defensive player. I think she's one of the best defensive players in the league."
Indiana Fever guard Lexie Hull (10) during a game.© Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Fever assistant coach Austin Kelly seconded Clark's praise for Hull. Kelly expressed how Hull "means a lot for us on both ends of the floor," while also heaping praise on the 25-year-old's elite work ethic.
Advertisement
Kelly also expressed his admiration for Hull's shooting efficiency, which is also something that has caught Clark's attention.
"She shoots the ball really well," Clark said of Hull. "Over the course of the last two seasons, she's made a lot of threes for us. She's shooting at close to 60%, which is really unheard of in all of basketball. You don't see that."
The Fever will need Hull to be at her best on Thursday as they play the Golden State Valkyries in a road game at Chase Center. The Valkyries have a number of formidable weapons on the offensive end as well, and Indiana will need Hull's defensive prowess in this one.
Advertisement
It goes without saying that Clark will need to keep her foot on the gas, too, as she looks to lead Indiana to their third straight victory on Thursday night.
Related: Indiana Fever React to Caitlin Clark's Outfit for Valkyries Game
Related: WNBA Issues Statement on Caitlin Clark, Kate Martin Before Fever-Valkyries Game
Related: Caitlin Clark Makes Admission on Conflict During Fever-Valkyries Game
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 20, 2025, where it first appeared.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
29 minutes ago
- Yahoo
As Micah Parsons contract negotiations continue, Cowboys should remember the key ingredient to their ‘instant grits' defense
When the Dallas Cowboys secondary took the field in recent years, they waited for the signal. How quickly should they expect their opponent to get the ball out? Al Harris, Dallas' defensive backs coach from 2021-24, would give them a clue. Advertisement 'I used to say, 'Instant grits,'' Harris told Yahoo Sports recently from Chicago, where he's now the Bears' defensive backs coach and defensive pass game coordinator. 'When you boil water, you just put the grits in there. So it's funny because [the defensive backs] would be like, 'Hey, how the grits?'' In other words: How effective was the Cowboys' pass rush at pressuring and hurrying the quarterback? Harris' metaphor came in handy most when edge rusher Micah Parsons was healthy. Harris, also the Cowboys' assistant coach last year, knew which play calls gave the two-time All-Pro edge rusher the green light to pressure and when his defensive backs should be ready accordingly. Injuries limited Parsons to 13 games in 2024, but Parsons nonetheless finished with the fifth-most quarterback pressures in the league. With 75 total pressures, his 5.77 per game led the league among defenders who played at least a third of the season, per NFL Next Gen Stats. Advertisement Next Gen Stats credits a defender with a quarterback pressure when the defender tallies a sack; gets within 2 yards of a quarterback at a forward pass; or within 1.5 yards of the quarterback at any point in the play. Parsons has met those criteria 335 times in four regular seasons with Dallas. He's raced to 52.5 sacks in that period. Harris learned to tee off his secondary to takeaway opportunities Parsons' pressure would create. 'It'd be like second quarter [and I'd say,] 'Hey, grits hot,'' Harris said. 'They'll give me a chance to watch Micah rush a couple of times to where I say, 'OK, he's going to beat these guys all day. And I just say, 'Hey man, grits hot, so let's get to the ball. Advertisement ''Let's get to the ball.'' The Cowboys' success in head coach Brian Schottenheimer's first season leading the team will hinge heavily on Parsons' dominance. Dallas' 2021 first-round pick is a game-wrecker. And the Cowboys are currently negotiating an extension with Parsons. Closing the deal hasn't gone as quickly as cooking instant grits. But will Dallas and Parsons find a middle ground soon? Parsons attended minicamp practices this month as he enters the final year of his contract, the fifth-year option of his rookie deal that Dallas picked up. Schottenheimer praised Parsons' attendance. 'I think it just shows you he's serious about what we've talked about, which is developing that leadership mentality, the mindset to be a guy that we can count on —and not just the fourth quarter when he's got to make a big sack or get pressure on the quarterback, but just in general throughout the course of a week,' Schottenheimer told reporters. 'He's doing the things he's supposed to do in terms of he's training, he's prepping, he's been in, he's been out. Advertisement 'Nobody's more excited than Micah about what we're building here.' Quarterback Dak Prescott said the locker room is 'very confident that Micah's going to get this deal done,' with Prescott understanding the business considerations after negotiating two extensions with the Cowboys himself. Will Dallas close the deal before the Cowboys' charter is scheduled to arrive in Oxnard, Calif. on July 20 for training camp? 'I'm pretty hopeful,' Parsons said of that timeline. 'I'm still hanging tight. I understand it's up to [Jerry Jones] and he gives the green light on everything. So hopefully something's done by next month.' Advertisement Until then, Parsons said he'll continue to learn the Cowboys' new defensive system under coordinator Matt Eberflus, as Parsons gives pointers to teammates while at the facility and training with cornerback Trevon Diggs while away from it. 'The simple things,' he said of his guidance. 'It's not always the major things that make football great. It's always the small details, the footwork, the positioning, the angles. 'We'll watch film together and I can tell guys what I see from a vetted experience.' Parsons plans to attend training camp with or without a deal, he said, already reserving a house for his family in California during the Cowboys' nearly four weeks there. Would he practice without a deal? 'We'll see,' Parsons said. 'Time will tell.'
Yahoo
33 minutes ago
- Yahoo
🎥 Lifelong loyalty? This Chelsea fan couldn't care less
Staying forever loyal to the once chosen favorite team is considered a matter of honor for many fans. In the USA, the clocks seem to tick a little differently. A Chelsea supporter wanted to have nothing more to do with the Blues before their game against Flamengo at the Club World Cup. But it's also an irresistible persuasion work that the media team from Flamengo is doing. Advertisement "I don't know.." "Come on, you know which is the bigger team!" "Yeah okay" And just like that, the jersey is switched. The USA, the land of unlimited possibilities. This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here. 📸 GLYN KIRK
Yahoo
33 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Kevin Durant squashed DeMarcus Cousins' wild Suns locker room rumor
The Phoenix Suns might not have been the worst team in the NBA, but it's hard to argue that there was a team in the league that had a worse year. The Suns came into the season with championship expectations. Now, we're out here looking for new homes for Kevin Durant and speculating about how the Suns are going to kickstart their rebuild. Life comes at you fast in this league. Super fast. Advertisement WHAT HE WANTS: Durant reportedly "specifically" wants to go to one destination As terrible as this year was, though, you never quite heard about locker room chaos. At least not in the same way you might think of when you think about underachieving teams. But DeMarcus Cousins (of all people!) says that the chaos existed — you just didn't hear about it. Cousins told Run It Back that the Suns had some "fist fights" in the locker room. This is a bit strange — especially considering the source. Cousins wasn't in the Suns' locker room this year, obviously. He's just "reporting" what he heard, which isn't exactly credible. Cousins had a solid NBA career, but he's no reporter. Advertisement Kevin Durant called cap here, unsurprisingly. Durant seems pretty believable here. I know we don't hear everything that comes out of the locker room, but it's hard to believe that we wouldn't hear about fights that broke out in the Suns locker room. And when you consider the source here? Yeah, it becomes even more questionable. Fun story. But that's probably all this is. This article originally appeared on For The Win: Kevin Durant squashed DeMarcus Cousins' wild Suns locker room rumor
