WNBA Heat Check: Caitlin Clark hitting another gear before playoffs

The final day of the 2026 regular season is here! Before we get ready for the playoffs, let’s take one final look at which players have kicked it up a gear over the final stretch, and which players have not.

▶ HEATING UP 🔥

Caitlin Clark, G, Fever

Clark and the Fever have returned from the FIBA break with a productive run, winning two of their last three games. Specifically for Clark, that stretch has been nothing short of spectacular, as she’s put up 26.7 points and 9.3 assists per game while averaging a pair of steals along the way. Overall, the former No. 1 pick has had a phenomenal third WNBA season and is hitting another gear here just before the postseason. With one game left in the regular season, the only question is where will Indiana finish in the standings? Regardless, with Clark playing at this level, the Fever should be able to compete with anyone.

Nneka Ogwumike, F, Sparks

The end of an illustrious WNBA career is coming to an end this week, with Ogwumike set to retire after 15 seasons. The former champion and league MVP has tallied at least 17 points in each of her last six appearances, while grinding out double-digit rebounds in half of those contests. The Sparks have also won three of those six games, which is a winning percentage far better than what they’ve been able to muster up during Ogwumike’s farewell season. Regardless of wins or losses, she’s finishing her career with a bang and will have a chance to put up a strong performance on Thursday one final time.

Flau’jae Johnson, G, Storm

From a team-success standpoint, Year 1 as a professional for Johnson has gone a lot differently than her career at LSU — the Storm own the worst record in the WNBA and are a long way from championship contention. Still, the rookie guard has shown lots of promise during her debut season. Prior to Wednesday’s finale, she had reached the 20-point mark four times over her previous six games and had drained 18 three-pointers over that stretch. She then went on to tally 21 more points in her final appearance of the regular season against the Dallas Wings, sending her into the offseason on a high note.

▶ COOLING DOWN ❄️

Aliyah Boston, C, Fever

In terms of on-court production, things had been unusually quiet for the former first-overall pick of the 2023 WNBA draft coming out of the FIBA break. In Indiana’s first two games, Boston combined for only 15 points on 14 shot attempts, prompting Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White to mention how the team needs to “get Boston going.” Boston did, in fact, get going — she scored 17 points the following game in a win over the Minnesota Lynx. More than one strong performance would go a long way in getting Boston fully back on track. We’ll see if she can follow her strong performance from Tuesday with another in Thursday’s regular season finale.

Courtney Williams, G, Lynx

The Minnesota Lynx are limping into the playoffs. They’ve lost three of their last four games and are dealing with an injury to rookie point guard Olivia Miles. Williams returned from an ankle injury towards the end of August but hasn’t scored efficiently or made a big impact as a passer, as reflected in her 15-of-39 shooting and 12:8 assist-to-turnover ratio over her last four games. It’s unknown if the veteran guard will play in Minnesota’s last regular-season game on Thursday, given the team’s secured spot as the top seed entering the playoffs. Nonetheless, the last stretch of the season hasn’t gone quite as expected for either Williams or the Lynx.

Veronica Burton, G, Valkyries

As well as Burton has played on the heels of a 2025 season in which she earned the Most Improved Player award, she’s been even better this season, upping her scoring while leading the Valkyries to the second overall seed. Yet, there’s meat left on the bone when assessing Burton’s play, especially of late. The shooting efficiency is what immediately jumps out — she’s shooting 11-of-36 from the floor over her past five games and has had to rely heavily on the free-throw line for scoring production. Burton has more than made up for her recent subpar shooting efficiency by remaining one of the best facilitators in the league. But given her shooting struggles down the stretch of the regular season, it could be important for her to find her rhythm ahead of the playoffs.