Indiana Fever Star Caitlin Clark Needs to Hear WNBA Legend's Advice
Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark struggled in their blowout loss to the Portland Fire on Saturday. She scored just six points and tallied eight assists, as Portland came away with a 100-84 victory.
More than her poor offense, though, it was Clark's defense (or lack thereof) that became a hot topic after the loss. After all, during the game, the Fire intentionally and constantly hunted the Fever star in isolation.
Clark had five fouls in the game, and her early foul trouble forced head coach Stephanie White to pull her at crucial moments and limit her playing time to just 21 minutes.
Clark has never been known for her defense, and teams are now clearly making her and the Fever pay for it. What the Fire did to her has been a common theme, as opponents try to put her in one-on-one situations in order to push her to foul or give up easy buckets.
The good news for Clark is that there's a solution to her problem. WNBA legend Sue Bird, who is considered one of the greatest players and guards in league history, experienced the same issue during her playing career and found an answer to it.
During the WNBA coverage of NBC on Sunday, Bird shared what she did to address her defensive shortcomings, something that Clark can also do.
"That's been me, I've experienced this," Bird said of teams hunting Clark in isolation. "I'll tell you exactly what I did. I went, and I learned every single tendency of every single player I was going to be guarding because everyone has one thing they don't want to do, and you've got to make them do that thing."
Cheryl Miller on the Caitlin Clark/Stephanie White bench incident:
— Underdog WNBA (@UnderdogWNBA) May 31, 2026
"Right now, it's frustration. And unfortunately, it's boiling over, and it's being seen. It's one thing to have it behind closed doors, but [it's another thing] when it spills over, and when the coach has to… pic.twitter.com/73oYTCszvh
It's certainly great advice from Bird, and it's exactly what Clark needs as she tries to figure out the next step in the evolution of her game. She's already a massive offensive threat, but for Indiana to succeed, she needs to be able to hold her ground defensively.
By doing what Bird suggested and learning to manipulate offensive players with a smart approach on defense, she can make up for some of her defensive shortcomings.
Of course it's easier said than done, but considering how competitive Clark is, she certainly has the mentality to do it.
Clark herself knows that teams are hunting her in isolation plays. She said as much after the Portland game, noting that she needs to move her feet a little better when opponents do that.
As Bird said, though, she has more to do than just improving her footwork on defense.
Related: Caitlin Clark's Intense Interaction With Indiana Fever Coach Stephanie White Goes Viral
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This story was originally published June 1, 2026 at 8:34 AM.