The Indiana Fever are headed to the WNBA playoffs for the first time since 2016 and the first time in the Caitlin Clark era. The 22-year-old rookie has rewritten parts of the league’s record books over the past month, leading the Fever to become one of the hottest teams in the WNBA.

Indiana currently holds a top-six seed in the playoffs. Clark’s supporting cast of Aliyah Boston, Nalyssa Smith and Kelsey Mitchell have all been playing some of the best basketball of their careers of late.

However, one former NBA star claims the team is still incomplete and is still missing a key piece.

Many of the newest fans Clark has brought to the WNBA have been harshly critical of some of the flagrant fouls and other questionable calls that have been made against her this year. In just four games against the rival Chicago Sky, Clark was hit by three different players for three different serious fouls, prompting a backlash from fans on social media.

Clark has avoided serious injuries and hasn’t let her injuries stop her from playing like an MVP candidate. But according to former NBA All-Star Joakim Noah, the team should still look to address that issue in the offseason by signing a player who can respond to opponents who are too strong for Clark.

“If I were the owner of the Indiana Fever, I would put a real enforcer in there to protect her,” Noah told Fox News Digital in an interview at “NBA Night” at the Emirates Suite at the U.S. Open in New York on Wednesday.

Noah acknowledged that Clark can get beat up by opposing players because they know the talent she brings as a difference-maker on the court.

“Sometimes I feel like she gets beaten up because she’s a very talented person,” he said. “But at the end of the day, we’re in the business of winning games, so if I were the owner [of the Indiana Fever], I’d put a real enforcer in there.”

Many new and longtime WNBA fans have been harshly critical of opponents who attack Clark. Rookie Sky Angel Reese, who hit Clark in the head with her arm while trying to block a pass during a game on June 16, shared about attacks from Clark fans dating back to their college days on her podcast on Thursday. Teammate Sky Diamond DeShields fouled Clark, knocking the rookie to the floor, during a game on Aug. 30, then posted the hateful comments she received on Instagram.

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