When the WNBA season started, fans had high hopes for a long playoff run for the Indiana Fever. Now, they are just one win away from making their first WNBA Finals in well over a decade. Yet, those preseason predictions were made with the assumption that Caitlin Clark would be leading this Fever team to victory, and she now has to watch from the bench as she has struggled with groin and ankle injuries all summer.
Once Clark was injured, the focus in Clark’s usual position shifted to Aari McDonald and Syd Colson, both of whom suffered season-ending injuries in the same game mid-summer. More injuries followed for the Fever, and now they are having this deep playoff run despite it.
How have they been able to rise above these setbacks and make a run for the WNBA Championship? Well, this is just proof that there’s no “I” in team, and that Clark was just one piece of a well-structured Indiana Fever squad.
Leaning into experience at every level
At the end of Clark’s rookie season in the WNBA, one thing was abundantly clear — the Fever needed experience. Clark has a never-ending flow of raw talent, but a well-rounded playoff team has depth and experience. That became the Fever’s offseason goals.
They started by hiring Steph White as their new head coach, someone who has taken teams far in the WNBA. She was the right hire as someone who can manage the noise of coaching a team with high expectations and some of the league’s brightest young stars. Then, they resigned Kelsey Mitchell, Clark’s guard partner and one of the best veteran guards in the WNBA.
Mitchell has been a huge part of the Fever’s postseason success. She has averaged 23.3 point per game in the playoffs this season, and shot 39.1 percent from 3-point range. Her ability to thrive despite facing some of the toughest defences in the WNBA is a huge part of why the Fever keep beating the odds.
Letting Aliyah Boston thrive
The Indiana Fever got the No. 1 WNBA Draft pick two years in a row, picking Clark in 2024 and Aliyah Boston in 2023. Boston’s size and ability to operate in the paint have been such a big factor in squaring up against the WNBA’s best bigs this postseason.
In round one, it was Brionna Jones and Brittney Griner, and the Fever were able to win in three games. Now in round two, Boston has been up against the WNBA’s 4x MVP, Co-defensive Player of the Year, and multi-time Olympic and World Cup gold medalist A’ja Wilson. Boston is averaging 10.7 rebounds per game this postseason, per Her Hoop Stats, and that’s huge when facing up against Wilson. Being able to get your team those second-chance opportunities and stop the Aces from those same chances helps a ton.
Excellent hardship signings
With the amount of injuries the Fever have sustained, they had to go in and sign some hardship players. These are players who have bounced around the league all season long, and are good enough to be on rosters. The WNBA is just such a tough league to break into.
Odyssey Sims has been huge for Indiana in the postseason, scoring 12.3 points per game and dishing out 4.1 assists. Her ability to make an impact no matter what system she is in, what opportunity she gets, and no matter how many times she has been counted out is inspirational. Shey Peddy has also been huge for Indiana off the bench, given their guards were gutted due to injury.
Being able to scout and sign these key players so late in the season and have them immediately buy in and make an impact has been important for Indiana.
Tonight’s Game 5 against the Las Vegas Aces gives the Fever one more chance to defy the odds and make it to the WNBA Finals. The Phoenix Mercury, who won their series against the Minnesota Lynx, will be waiting for the winner of tonight’s game to kick off the Finals on Friday night.