“Rome wasn’t built in a day.” This is an adage that also applies to professional sports; championships are not won on day one. The Indiana Fever aspire to win a second championship in franchise history, but as of now, that doesn’t look to be in the cards for this season.
The Fever, along with 10 other teams, are currently looking up at the Las Vegas Aces living at the summit of the mountain.
A day after winning their first game of the season, the Fever played the Aces in Las Vegas on May 25. Indiana got a first-hand look at how a championship team operates, as the Aces won the matchup 99-80. After ending the first quarter with a 28-24 lead, the Fever were outscored 22-10 in the second quarter, and the game ultimately began to get away from them at the start of the fourth quarter. Even though this was the second day of a back-to-back, the Fever’s performance showed that they have a long way to go to reach the level that the Aces are at.
Difficult losses have been the story of Indiana’s season; from three losses by single digits to a few blowouts, the Fever have experienced a range of different defeats. The Fever are 2-9 on the season, already struggling to keep their dream of making a return to the postseason alive. The team also endured a hectic start with their schedule: playing their first 11 games of the season in 20 days.
What should not get lost during the Fever’s rocky season is that the team boasts a young and exciting core of NaLyssa Smith, Aliyah Boston (last year’s Rookie of the Year), and rookie Caitlin Clark. Kelsey Mitchell is another key piece of the Indiana puzzle, and looks to build off a season in which she was selected to her first All-Star game.
Clark is averaging 15.6 points per game (PPG) to lead all rookies, 6.4 assists per game (APG) and 5.1 rebounds per game (RPG). Boston is averaging 10.4 PPG, 6.6 RPG and 2.4 APG. Smith is averaging 11.9 PPG and 7.1 RPG. These three players have had flashes of great moments during the season, but have faced challenging moments as well.
For example, while Clark is among the league leaders in assists, she leads the league in turnovers. Also, Boston has struggled to stay on the court in games due to foul trouble, and Smith was pulled from the starting lineup in favor of Temi Fagbenle (before being reinserted following Fagbenle’s foot injury). In addition, the Fever have given up the most average points in the league (90.5 PPG).
The Fever have spent the season finding the lineups and rotation that give them the best chance to compete and win. The opening day starting lineup featured Clark, Boston, Smith, Katie Lou Samuelson and Erica Wheeler; Kelsey Mitchell came off the bench as she recovered from an ankle injury. Clark and Boston are the only players who have started every game so far.
Meanwhile, the rest of the starting lineup has undergone various changes between Smith, Samuelson, Wheeler, Mitchell, Fagbenle and Kristy Wallace.
When Clark declared for the 2024 draft, there was a lot of hype and excitement about her arrival to the WNBA, and those feelings were palpable when the Fever officially selected Clark with the first overall pick. She was one of the most highly-touted draft prospects in history, and millions of eyes were fixated on her and her team to see what they could achieve. Unfortunately, their season has been the opposite of spectacular.
The Fever look to follow a similar path to the Aces in becoming a championship team after years of struggles and adversity.
When the Fever earned the first overall pick for the 2024 draft, it was the first time a franchise had the top pick in back-to-back years since the Aces. Clark’s arrival in Indiana came a year after the team selected Boston with the first overall pick. The year before that, they selected Smith with the second overall pick, and she made the 2022 All-Rookie team.
During the Aces’ rebuilding years, they had the first overall pick for three consecutive years. In those years with the top pick, they selected Kelsey Plum (2017), A’ja Wilson (2018) and Jackie Young (2019).
In 2019, the Aces made the playoffs for the first time since 2014. They reached the semifinals and lost to the Mystics, the eventual champions. In the succeeding years, which included a loss in the 2020 WNBA Finals, the Aces made roster tweaks and even experienced a head coaching change before becoming a championship team. These changes include the ascension of both Plum and Young into All-Star performers, the signing of Chelsea Gray, and the arrival of Becky Hammon as head coach. The Aces are now in the middle of a potential dynasty, as they attempt to become the first team to three-peat since the Houston Comets won four consecutive titles.
Like the Aces were years ago, the Fever are in a period of adjustment during their rebuild. It can take time for teams with new players to gel, especially players who are expected to be significant contributors and vital to team success.
Unlike teams such as the Aces, New York Liberty and Connecticut Sun, the Fever may not be operating under a “championship or bust” timeline, but from a results standpoint, the start of the season has nonetheless been a disappointment. For the number of people who are frustrated by Indiana’s current standing, those feelings are understandable, given the constant losing that the team and their fans have absorbed in recent years.
As a reminder, the Fever went 13-27 a year ago. The season before that, the team only won five games. Over the course of those two seasons, the Fever endured a stretch of 20 consecutive losses, tying the 2011 Tulsa Shock for the longest losing streak in league history. Also, the Fever have not made the playoffs or had at least a .500 record since Tamika Catchings’ final season in 2016.
If there is one player who understands the frustration surrounding the Fever’s first quarter of the season, Mitchell has to be at the top of the list. Mitchell, who the Fever drafted in 2018, is one of the best players in the league who has yet to play a postseason game. Her tenure has constantly featured a display of her dazzling scoring prowess, but it has also been marred by her team’s yearly regular season disappointments. She is a valuable part of a team that seeks to end the longest active postseason drought in the league.
Conversations around the Fever’s performances throughout the season, the treatment of Clark and how opponents are going up against her, and the general growth of the WNBA have been at the center of attention. Right now, the energy around Indiana is loud. There is pressure to live up to newfound expectations. But, pressure creates diamonds, and they are up to the task of working hard to shine bright and finally be among the jewels of the league. The Fever are determined to get their season on track, and eventually bring the franchise back to the glory days of postseason competition and success.
Stats as of June 7. Unless otherwise noted, stats courtesy of WNBA.com.
