Aliyah Boston Can’t Come Through For Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever, Misses Game-Tying Layup

On paper, Indiana Fever forward Aliyah Boston is the perfect sidekick for Caitlin Clark. The three-time All-American forward at South Carolina was the first-overall pick of the Fever in the 2023 NBA Draft and had a great rookie campaign last year to win Rookie of the Year and make the WNBA All-Star Game.

But, the early returns on the Clark-Boston duo that many expected to immediately become one of the best NBA have not been good. That was magnified in the Fever’s final meaningful possession of the game in their 88-84 loss to the Connecticut Sun on Monday when Aliyah Boston missed an easy game-tying layup.

Prior to the final sequence, Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston actually had their smoothest play the duo has had so far to tie the game. Take a look.

That’s excellent work in the pick-and-roll right there. A great read by Boston, a great read by Clark, a perfect pass and a smooth finish.

But, after the Sun made two go-ahead free throws, Boston decided to go one-on-one to tie the game in the final seconds. She got a great look, but missed the layup badly, dooming the Fever to a fourth-straight loss.

That’s a great read by Boston to recognize the overplay on the potential Clark handoff, and it’s a great take by Boston to the basket. But, c’mon, Aliyah! You’ve got to make the layup!

Now, the Fever are 0-4, and a lot of it has to do with the fact that Aliyah Boston simply hasn’t been good enough. For instance. on Monday she was a respectable 5-11 from the field. But, she didn’t get to the foul line at all and finished with only 10 points. A player with her physical gifts should be getting to the foul line.

That being said, Caitlin Clark hasn’t been consistently good enough to carry a team that doesn’t have a whole lot of talent outside her and Boston to wins. They’re both still young and will likely get better playing together. But, early on, the returns aren’t great.

 

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