Caitlin Clark’s popularity and prowess on the court has drawn a ton of new eyeballs to the Indiana Fever and the WNBA in general.

On Sunday, the Footprint Center was sold out as 17,071 fans came to the arena to see the matchup. Likely, a lot of them came to witness Clark and saw her nearly complete a triple-double.

Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell admitted after the Fever’s 88-82 win that the new excitement around the team was something to get used to. The team is already averaging around 16,700 fans at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse – the most in the WNBA.

“I think the same eyes were on her at Iowa, so I think she’s kind of like mastered how it’s supposed to go. Hats off to her for dealing with it. I think for us it’s obviously an adjustment,” Mitchell said, via Desert Wave Media. 

CAITLIN CLARK’S FUTURE IS ‘SO BRIGHT,’ WNBA LEGEND DIANA TAURASI SAYS

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark, #22, and Indiana Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell, #0, interact during a WNBA Commissioner’s Cup game between the Indiana Fever and the Connecticut Sun on June 10, 2024 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. (Erica Denhoff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

“We’re new to Caitlin, and Caitlin is new to us, so it’s an adjustment as far as those eyes, but me personally, I’m fine.”

Mitchell, who was an All-Star for the first time last season, is averaging 16.3 points this season. Ironically, Clark topped Mitchell’s scoring mark in college on her way to becoming the all-time leader.

For now, the goal remains simple – make the playoffs.

Indiana Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell, #0, and Phoenix Mercury guard Sophie Cunningham, #9, battle for a loose ball during the second half of a WNBA basketball game on Sunday, June 30, 2024 in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

With the win over the Mercury, the Fever jumped to the No. 8 spot in the WNBA standings. If the season ended on Sunday, they would be in the playoffs for the first time since 2017.

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It has been only two weeks since Miguel Rojas replaced the injured Mookie Betts as the Dodgers’ starting shortstop, more than enough time for the 35-year-old veteran to alter the makeup of the team’s infield come playoff time.

The slick-fielding Rojas has reminded the Dodgers just how important it is to have a reliable defender at shortstop in October, one who won’t make the team’s front office, manager, coaches, players and fans squirm when the ball is hit to him.

Rojas, who has not committed an error in 215⅔ innings at shortstop this season, is clearly that guy. He has excellent range to his left and right, soft, sure hands, a strong and accurate throwing arm, and he’s adept at starting and turning double plays.

Rojas is athletic enough to make plays from a variety of body positions and arm angles. His internal clock, which helps infielders know how much time they have to make a throw based on a runner’s speed, is as finely tuned as a Swiss watch.

“For me,” Dodgers third-base coach Dino Ebel said, “he’s one of the top five defensive shortstops in baseball.”

Betts, for all his athleticism and his willingness and ability to move from right field to second base last winter and from second base to shortstop — a position he hadn’t played regularly since high school — this spring, is not.

He could be eventually, but the dynamic leadoff man is expected to be out six to eight weeks after suffering a left-hand fracture when he was hit by a 98-mph fastball on June 16, a lengthy absence that will stunt his growth at his new position.

And Betts, a six-time Gold Glove Award-winner in right field, wasn’t in Gold Glove contention when he got hurt — he had nine errors in 531 ⅓ innings at shortstop this season, eight of them throwing and one fielding.

All of which raises the question: If Rojas keeps hitting the way he has this season, one of his best with the bat in 11 years in the big leagues, would Dodgers manager Dave Roberts consider leaving him at shortstop when Betts returns and moving Betts to second base, where Gavin Lux hasn’t exactly been tearing it up offensively?

“I would, I would,” Roberts said. “I don’t think anyone can debate the level of shortstop play from Miguel Rojas. Some of it is contingent on the timeline for Mookie’s return and where Miggy is physically and how things are going. But to your question, would I consider it? Absolutely.”

For Rojas to remain the starting shortstop all summer and into the fall, he has to stay healthy, which is why he’s spending more time with his legs wrapped in a blood flow restriction (BFR) machine and less time taking ground balls, part of a modified pregame and postgame training regimen designed to keep him on the field.

Rojas began the season as a utility man, starting just 30 of the team’s first 73 games through June 16, the day Betts was hit by that pitch from Kansas City Royals right-hander Dan Altavilla.

Rojas started 10 of the first 11 games at shortstop after Betts got hurt, a pace made possible by three off days in the past nine days but one that is not sustainable for a player who has battled leg injuries for several years.

“He’s having a heck of a year offensively and defensively, and I love the edge, the energy, he brings every night,” Roberts said. “The thing I have to be mindful of is managing his playing time because he’s just such a value to our ballclub.

“He will argue like most players that he can play every day, and that should be his mindset. But he’s still an older player who’s had some soft-tissue things, so I will find time to give him days off, because I think it’s best for him and for us long term.”

Rojas, who enters Tuesday night’s game against Arizona with a .287 average, .778 on-base-plus-slugging percentage, three homers, 13 doubles and 15 RBIs in 52 games, finally got a day off Sunday in San Francisco. There were no complaints.

“I think it’s a smart move, because I’m going to have the off-day Monday, too,” Rojas said after he had three RBI singles and a sacrifice fly in Saturday night’s grueling 14-7, 11-inning win over the Giants. “My role on this team changed a little bit when Mookie got hurt, and now I have to play shortstop every day.

“I need to recharge my batteries because I’m a guy that plays all-out, every single day, and I feel like I empty the tank. I need to refuel and be ready for Tuesday.”

Rojas, the team’s everyday shortstop last season, prides himself on his stellar defense and the passion he plays with.

“I want to inject some energy into the lineup, I want to be in the middle of the field trying to be another manager out there, helping the guys with positioning,” Rojas said. “I play hard every day, whether it’s running the bases or diving for balls. I don’t hold anything for later. I’m not trying to save myself for September.”

But to make it to September and October, Rojas knows he needs to take even better care of his body, which is why he started doing yoga and pilates this spring, stopped wearing the high-top spikes that seemed to affect his Achilles tendons, hamstrings and hips and spends at 30 minutes in the training room before and after every game receiving treatment, including the BFR machine.

Also known as an occlusion training device, the BFR machine restricts blood flow to a muscle, a group of muscles and joints such as elbows and knees in order to beef up the lactic acid produced during exercise, a key component in building muscle. It also aids in recovery and healing.

“I’ve had some fluke injuries, like when I hurt my wrist [on a 2022 slide with Miami],” said Rojas, who had to be pulled from an early June game at Pittsburgh because of a groin injury. “But my legs have been bothering me for the last couple of years.

“So I’ve used the BFR machine on both legs for the last couple of weeks. I follow that with some treatment and more stretching, and I feel good. My body feels much better than it did last year, when I was playing a lot.”

Rojas has cut way back on his pregame routine, which, for the first 2½ months of the season, consisted of extensive work taking ground balls and helping Betts transition to shortstop. In addition to stretching more to increase his flexibility, Rojas is eating better and staying hydrated. He’s getting to sleep earlier.

“I’m taking this really seriously, because I don’t want them to feel like they need to go out there and find someone,” Rojas said. “I think I can do it.”

The moment that fastball hit Betts’ hand, there was speculation that the Dodgers would pursue a trade for a shortstop. Toronto’s Bo Bichette and the Chicago White Sox’s Paul DeJong have been mentioned as candidates, but Bichette is having a career-worst season, and DeJong wouldn’t be much of an upgrade over Rojas.

“That’s the chip on his shoulder — he wants to prove that he’s that guy,” Ebel said of Rojas. “I give him credit for even thinking that.”

Rojas will never be as dangerous in the batter’s box as Betts, but the Dodgers would be hard-pressed to find a better defensive alternative at shortstop.

“It’s a game-changer,” Roberts said of Rojas’ defense. “Mookie was doing the best he could given the circumstances, but Miggy is an 80-grade defender. He grew up as a shortstop. The repetitions that he’s taken over the years, over his life … he’s a lock-down guy.”

Dodgers shortstop Miguel Rojas, left and Andy Pages talk in the dugout before a game against the Washington Nationals on April 16.

(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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The challenge for Roberts will be finding that balance between playing Rojas as much as possible and resting him enough to keep him healthy over the next four months.

“For me, it’s talking to the training staff, it’s using my eyes and seeing how his body’s moving, picking out a day game after a night game, things like that,” Roberts said. “There is no exact science. I can’t just say it’s two on, one off, three on, one off, play six in a row.

“But he’s so valuable for us going forward that to make sure we keep him fresh is what’s most important, and that’s what my mindset will be. … I can’t say enough about Miggy Ro. I’m pushing him a little bit as far as playing time, but he’s coming up big.”

It didn’t take long for Chris Paul to find a new team, apparently.

Hours after the Golden State Warriors point guard was waived, multiple reports indicated that Paul agreed to a contract with the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday. The deal would potentially put him in the same lineup with Victor Wembanyama, Devin Vassell and Jeremy Sochan.

Paul’s deal is worth $11 million over one year, ESPN reported.

He played with the Warriors last season after he was acquired in a trade that involved Jordan Poole.

The 12-time All-Star averaged 9.2 points, 6.8 assists and 3.9 rebounds in 58 games. He played in fewer than 60 games in consecutive seasons, the 2022-23 season with the Phoenix Suns. It’s the first time he’s done that since the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons, when he was with the Houston Rockets.

JAMES HARDEN AGREES TO 2-YEAR DEAL WITH CLIPPERS: REPORTS

Golden State Warriors forward Trayce Jackson-Davis (32) and guard Chris Paul (Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)

Paul is considered to be one of the best point guards to play in the NBA since he entered the league in 2005. He leads the NBA in most assists all-time among active players with 11,894. Only Paul and LeBron James have at least 11,000 assists all-time.

He also might be the best modern player to never win an NBA championship. He was close when he was with the Suns when they made the 2021 NBA Finals against the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks won the series in six games.

Golden State Warriors guard Chris Paul passes the ball under defensive pressure by New Orleans Pelicans forward Herbert Jones, left, and guard Dyson Daniels at Chase Center in San Francisco on April 12, 2024. (D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports)

Paul will be 40 years old by the time the 2024-25 season ends. He’s averaging 17.5 points and 9.4 assists per game for his career.

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