The Indiana Fever got off to a scorching-hot start during the 2025 WNBA season, dismantling the Chicago Sky on opening night. Unfortunately, the team hit a bit of a rough patch, losing two of the next three games, both of which came in the final moments.
Before their fifth game of the season against the Washington Mystics, however, the team received even more brutal news: Star guard Caitlin Clark would miss at least two weeks with a strained quad.
Clark missed Wednesday's game, a loss to the Mystics, and is set to miss at least the next three games as well. After falling to Washington earlier this week, Fever fans are starting to question whether they have enough talent on the roster to keep winning and stay afloat without Clark's presence.
The Indiana Fever still have enough firepower without Caitlin Clark
On Wednesday, the team looked like a rudderless ship at times without Clark on the floor. However, despite the narrow loss to an emerging Mystics squad, it still seems like there is enough hope for Indiana fans to cling onto.
In their first contest without their star player, the Fever still had four players score in double-figures, and Lexie Hull contributed nine points as well. The team did turn the ball over more often because Clark manages a good portion of the ball-handling responsibilities, but there was plenty to be positive about for Indiana.
DeWanna Bonner looked to be in vintage form, as she chipped in 21 points and grabbed four rebounds. All-Star guard Kelsey Mitchell did not have her most efficient outing, but she dropped in 14 points as well. The post tandem of Aliyah Boston and Natasha Howard added 10 and 11 points, respectively, which helped dramatically down the stretch.
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More time together will allow these talented players to mold into one well-oiled machine. The talent of Mitchell, Bonner, Boston, Howard, Hull and Sophie Cunningham should still be too much for opposing teams to overcome, even without Clark.
Clark is obviously the missing piece and engine for this offense, but every WNBA team needs a contingency plan for when their star player goes down. Thankfully, the Fever have plenty of offensive firepower to lean on in her absence; it will just take a bit of time for all the ducks fall in a row.