What NaLyssa Smith Just Did To Caitlin Clark Is UNEXPECTED & She NEEDS TO LEAVE!

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Indiana Fever head coach Christie Sides was unwilling to give an in-depth explanation for removing NaLyssa Smith from the team’s starting lineup in Wednesday’s 89-84 loss to the Washington Mystics. The situation renews doubt over Smith’s long-term place on the Fever months after social media activity suggested problems with the WNBA franchise.

After falling to 1-7 to begin the 2024 WNBA season, Smith liked a social media post that said: “NaLyssa Smith was a walking double-double last year. Shot nearly 50%. Just came off a wildly successful overseas stint. She took *3* shots tonight. Icing out your young talent for no apparent reason other than ‘she played bad defense that one time’ ain’t the way to do it.”

But matters seemed to calm down for a while, as Smith took on a greater role in the wake of Temi Fagbenle’s injury issues. Smith losing her starting spot to Lexie Hull on Wednesday – and Sides’ terse answer about it – suggested problems might still exist.

“I don’t think it impacted the whole game,” Sides said. “That was a coach’s decision. I’m just gonna leave it at that.”

Added Caitlin Clark, seemingly not wanting to add any fuel to the situation: “Just go with whatever coach puts in there. I trust our teammates, and I think no matter who’s on the court, you’ve got to compete as hard as you can every single second. I think we all do that.

“I don’t think you can get too caught up in who’s starting, who’s not starting. That’s just basketball.”

NaLyssa Smith moved to the bench for Wednesday’s game against the Washington Mystics. ( 
Image:
Getty Images)
Sides re-inserted Smith into the lineup to begin the third quarter after the Mystics took a 14-point lead into halftime. Smith finished with 11 points in 27 minutes.

Smith, 23, has the pedigree of a superstar, making her murky role this year frustrating for many Fever fans and potentially the player herself.

Indiana selected Smith at No. 2 overall in the 2022 WNBA Draft. She got off to a promising start, too, finishing third in Rookie of the Year voting.