Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell continued their impressive run in the Indiana Fever’s 111-91 win over the Connecticut Sun on Friday. The All-Star guards combined for 68 points, 16 assists, and 8 rebounds, helping Indiana maintain its strong stretch of play.
Their performance also sparked an interesting comparison, as analyst Ben Daniel likened Clark and Mitchell to the legendary LeBron James-Kyrie Irving duo that led the Cleveland Cavaliers to the 2016 NBA championship.
Jason Whitlock was quick to push back.
Jason Whitlock Rejects Analyst’s Comparison of Caitlin Clark, Kelsey Mitchell to LeBron James and Kyrie Irving
Following another big night from Clark and Mitchell, Daniel urged Fever coach Stephanie White to lean even more heavily on the two guards. He suggested that All-Star center Aliyah Boston “needs to be Kevin Love and sacrifice,” a reference to the third star in the Cavaliers’ championship trio.
Daniel then made his comparison even clearer, saying Indiana’s backcourt “is LeBron & Kyrie on the Cavs.”
Whitlock promptly questioned the comparison.
“Ben, you’re great. But let’s not jump to conclusions off the Connecticut Bowling Balls. That was an overweight rec league team tonight. The fire hydrants playing point for Connecticut might as well have been me. That was not professional basketball,” Whitlock tweeted.
Ben, you’re great. But let’s not jump to conclusions off the Connecticut Bowling Balls. That was an overweight rec league team tonight. The fire hydrants playing playing point for Connecticut might as well have been me. That was not professional basketball. https://t.co/j00F38KLfr
— Jason Whitlock (@jasonwhitlock) August 29, 2026
The “Fearless” host’s point was straightforward: one dominant performance against a struggling Connecticut team was not enough, in his view, to put Clark and Mitchell in the same conversation as James and Irving.
The Fever guards, however, have produced far more than one impressive night. Clark is averaging 22.5 points, 8.4 assists, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.0 steals per game, while Mitchell is putting up 25.0 points per game, 2.8 assists per game, and 1.7 rebounds per game.
Mitchell has also been remarkably efficient despite averaging 17.2 attempts per game. She is shooting 51.3%, including 45.5% from behind the arc.
Clark, meanwhile, is creating 41.4 points per game, according to Hoops Junkie, putting her well ahead of the rest of the league.
That production also raises the question of whether Boston really needs to take a back seat for the Fever’s backcourt to thrive.
She is averaging 16.9 ppg and 3.0 apg while giving Indiana a reliable presence around the basket. Boston has also shown she can facilitate from the post and stretch the floor, shooting 40.8% from 3-point range.
Those skills add another dimension to Indiana and prevent the offense from becoming entirely dependent on Clark and Mitchell.
Whitlock’s larger point, though, is difficult to ignore. James and Irving had already proved what they could accomplish together when they helped Cleveland win its first NBA championship. Clark and Mitchell have not reached that point with Indiana yet.
The Fever’s backcourt has certainly earned the comparison as a talking point, but matching the legacy of LeBron and Kyrie will ultimately require more than impressive numbers.
For Clark and Mitchell, the biggest measure will be whether their partnership can carry Indiana to the kind of postseason success that made the Cavaliers duo legendary.
