WNBA 2nd-half storylines: Caitlin Clark, A'ja Wilson, legit contenders and the Paige Bueckers sweepstakes

The three-week Olympics break in the 2024 WNBA season has given Caitlin Clark time to bond with her Indiana Fever teammates.

Fever players wrapped the No. 1 pick of the 2024 WNBA draft in toilet paper as part of a team building exercise at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, as seen at the 3:24 mark of the video below.

The Fever opened the season with a 2-9 record during a historically compact schedule. The team played the first 11 games of the season in less than three weeks, marking the busiest opening schedule for a WNBA team since 2011, per Across the Timeline and The Next Hoops’ Tony East.

That was particularly challenging for Clark, who had just eight days off between the 2024 NCAA national championship game and the WNBA draft. Fever training camp began two weeks later.

“I think the time off was just really helpful for all of us, from a standpoint of getting to reset mentally, emotionally, physically, just because the first part of our schedule was so demanding, and there was always just so much eyeballs on us, so many people watching, always a spotlight,” Clark said (4:29 mark.) “So it’s good to have that reset.

“Even for myself, coming in right off my college season, and then coming right to the WNBA, having that reset has been something that I probably haven’t had in like a year. So now that I’ve had a little break, it’s been really good for myself, but I feel like I definitely have that itch to get back out there.”

Clark added that the break has offered herself and her Fever teammates the chance to spend some extra time in the gym.

“We’ve had three weeks to really work on ourselves, and find ways to get better,” Clark said. “It almost feels like a training camp all over, where you get some time to really practice things that you need to get better at.

“I feel like we’ve grown from a relationship standpoint, too, of getting to know our teammates, and I think that’s gonna carry us far through the rest of the season.”

The Fever headed into the break with an 11-15 record, including a 5-5 mark over their last ten games. Clark and her teammates will look to fight toward a potential playoff berth over the last 14 games of the season, beginning Friday night at 7:30 p.m. ET with a contest against the Phoenix Mercury.