Indiana Fever Following Warriors Blueprint with Caitlin Clark, Kelsey Mitchell

Even with the addition of the most highly-anticipated prospect in women’s basketball history, there weren’t lofty expectations for the Indiana Fever heading into the 2024 WNBA season. But lo and behold, the Fever have locked up a spot in the postseason.

Caitlin Clark has deservedly received the majority of the spotlight for the Fever thanks to her historic season. But her backcourt partner Kelsey Mitchell deserves as much praise for Indiana’s ascension as much as the Fever rookie does.

In their first season together, Clark and Mitchell have already established themselves as arguably the best backcourt in the WNBA. Earlier this week, they made history by becoming the first duo in WNBA history to make at least 100 three-pointers each in a season.

With this feat, isn’t the budding backcourt of Clark and Mitchell reminiscent of the Golden State Warriors tandem that terrorized the NBA with their shooting over a decade ago?

Greatest Backcourt in NBA History: Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson

The Splash Brothers are an iconic NBA duo

Even though their time together is over, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are undoubtedly the greatest shooting backcourt in NBA history. In their early years together, however, not many believed that a jumpshooting team could be a formidable formula to win at the highest level.

Four titles later, Curry and Thompson changed the game of basketball forever with their outside shooting being the main ingredient to their success.

With four championships together, they have secured their place in history as arguably the best backcourt of all time.

The Splash Brothers may have just come to an end this offseason when Thompson decided to leave the Warriors. But it seems like the WNBA is slowly witnessing the ascension of their version of the Splash Sisters.

Splash Sisters: Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell

Are they the NBA’s version of the Splash Bros?

Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell could become the WNBA’s version of the Splash Brothers. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson dominated the NBA for a decade with their three-point shooting and Clark and Mitchell are doing the same for this season at least.

Luka Doncic has already anointed Clark as the female Steph Curry, and it’s easy to see why.

Clark possesses unlimited range and a quick trigger from beyond the arc. Like Curry, she also has the ability to shoot off the dribble from long distance.

The Fever point guard is also perhaps the most electric performer in the WNBA right now. When she gets hot from beyond the arc, she sends that Indiana crowd into a frenzy, much like the Warriors superstar has done throughout his career.

Meanwhile, Mitchell is slowly rising to prominence because of her ability to light up the box score, especially from three-point country. But her scoring prowess isn’t new at all.

The 28-year-old has been an elite scorer for many years now. She has averaged at least 17 PPG in each of the last five seasons and has shot at least 39 percent from three over the last three.

​​​In fact, like Klay Thompson, Mitchell co-holds the WNBA record for most three-pointers in a game when she made nine threes during a game against the Connecticut Sun in 2019. Thompson has the NBA record with 14 made threes, which he set early in the 2018-19 season.

Long Way to Go For Fever Backcourt

A good start for their first year together

Despite the similarities, this electric Fever backcourt is still in its infancy.

As terrific as she’s been playing in her rookie season, Clark still needs to improve on her efficiency. She has shot just 33.7 percent from three in her rookie year and that is in large part due to the amount of attention she receives from opposing defenses on a nightly basis.

Nonetheless, Clark is going to be fine in that regard as she will only continue to learn how to deal with the constant double-teams she gets and become a more efficient scorer like Curry.

In addition, Mitchell is also six years older than Clark, whereas Curry and Thompson were just a year apart. The Warriors tandem essentially grew up in the NBA, while the Fever backcourt are growing their relationship at different stages of their careers.

Nonetheless, Mitchell is still in the prime of her career and should continue to play at a high level for several years. Clark, meanwhile, has already shown that she is already one of the top players in the WNBA and has already inserted herself in the MVP conversation.

Clark and Mitchell are still ways away from reaching the heights that Curry and Thompson reached in the NBA. This is, in fact, their first year playing together.

They are off to a flying start, though, as they are already slated to finish the campaign with the two highest single-season scoring marks in Fever history.

With what Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell have shown this season, they are slowly following the blueprint of the iconic Warriors Splash Brothers duo.