From starting the season losing 9 of their first 11 games to now sitting just a game and a half out of the sixth seed in the playoff standings, the Indiana Fever have continued their franchise turnaround this season in stunning fashion. Along the way, they’ve managed to set records, nab All-Star nominations, and most importantly, stack up wins that have put them on the map as they head into the second half of the regular season.
Historic Performances and Dominating Showcases by the Fever
It’s no secret that times have been tough for Indiana since the retirement of Tamika Catchings in 2016. But as they currently sit comfortably amidst the playoff race, they also find themselves putting the losing ways of the past behind them.
With a current record of 11-15, Indiana has already reached double-figure wins with half of the season remaining while reaching that same feat for only the third time in the last seven years.
Furthermore, they’ve done so in a quicker fashion as well after notching their 10th win of the season on July 12 against the Phoenix Mercury, just 24 games into the regular season. Last year, it took them 34 games to reach win No. 10 and found them doing so without a playoff appearance when it was all said and done.
This current trend of success comes from a litany of reasons but one of the first is the cohesion that they’ve found on the offensive end of the floor. With an offense sitting at sixth in the league, an average of 81.8 points per game (PPG), they’ve found consistency with two of their franchise pillars in 2024 All-Stars Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston while fellow All-Star teammate Kelsey Mitchell has continued to solidify herself as one of the game’s most underrated guards.
Caitlin Clark and the Stellar Start to her WNBA Career
Clark, who leads the league in assists per game (APG) with 8.2, also currently sits third in the league with most threes made with 71. But as she’s grown acclimated with the play of the league she’s fallen back in lockstep with giving opposing defense headaches.
The latest example comes from the sample size of the last 12 games in which she has averaged a double-double with 19 ppg along with 11 APG while her counterpart in Aliyah Boston has been equally lethal, averaging 17 points per game (PPG) and 10 rebounds per game (RPG).
what a weekend for our All-Star trio 💫 pic.twitter.com/FmcWamsgQ1
— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) July 21, 2024
Couple that with her record-setting performance on July 17 when she set the league record with 19 assists as well as becoming the league’s first rookie to record a triple-double on July 6 and Clark has easily coalesced into everything Indiana dreamed they’d get in their draft pick.
Coming off of her record-setting performance, Clark noted the continual need to clean up her game while saying the focus is on getting her teammates touches:
“I think I just try to set my teammates up for success. At times, I think I can overpass and there probably are times where instead of passing that leads to a turnover, I could shoot the ball but with A.B. (Aliyah Boston), I’m looking to set her up so much whoever’s in the game at the time.”
In the paint, Boston has become the perfect complement to their All-Star point guard’s game as she has set career highs in points, 28 on July 17, as well as rebounds with 14 on July 14 in a win over the Minnesota Lynx.
Her ability to partner with Clark in the pick and roll has been ample to their success thus far while NaLyssa Smith and newcomer Damiris Dantas have also provided relief in the frontcourt as well.
The Fever Following the Olympic Break
Now Indiana heads into the second half of the season with just five road games on their schedule as well as currently holding tiebreakers teams like Phoenix, Chicago, and Atlanta who hover near them in the playoffs standings.
For Boston, the focus on the second half of the season revolves around making that continual playoff push:
“We’ve won some pretty big games this month and I think that shows that we can compete with the top teams in the league but it also shows that we have to be ready every single night. … Looking into the remainder of the season, when we come back, we have to be ready to compete because these last 14 games that we have, we’re in a good position but we have to capitalize on all these games.”
Time will tell whether the Fever will make the WNBA postseason since 2016.
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