Throughout a tumultuous start to their 2024 season, the Indiana Fever preached patience, building continuity, and the growth that will come with a team that has new but dangerous pieces that need to gel.
Through that time they weathered one of the league’s toughest starts to a WNBA season for any team and found themselves knocking on the door of their first playoff appearance since 2016. And while most anticipated they would find their way once the dust settled, few expected the meteoric rise that has occurred since the Olympic break.
Machinations Of Success
Winners of six of their last seven including a streak of four victories in a row, Indiana hasn’t just found their way amongst the bottom tier of the playoff standings, they’re now knocking on the door of some of the league’s elite squads.
Case in point: their recent 84-80 victory last week versus the Connecticut Sun.
While Indiana has gone on to win two more contests since their game against the Sun, both of which came against struggling squads in the Chicago Sky and Dallas Wings, their win over Connecticut provides many microcosms of just how much they have improved since the month-long Olympic hiatus.
Coming into the season, one of head coach Christie Sides’ main focuses was to see her team come together in moments of duress and ultimately come out on top.
After close losses and tough blowouts early on, their growth and composure stand as one of their biggest areas of improvement says Kelsey Mitchell:
“I think that we had a lot of experience throughout the course of our first games against New York, Connecticut, teams like that so we already experienced what it felt like to lose, have to battle and withstand that kind of energy and I think for us, it’s about not taking it anymore.”
Mitchell’s Continual Ascent
As Mitchell touched on the ever-improving mentality of Indiana, she more than anyone throughout the Fever’s personnel can speak on what it means to see them on the rise.
After spending the first six seasons of her career shouldering the load of trying to pull Indiana out of a post-Tamika Catchings twilight, Mitchell now has seen her patience and hard work finally begin to pay off.
Through those years, she was often overlooked and slept on. But after last year’s All-Star campaign while playing alongside one of the franchise’s most valuable pieces in Aliyah Boston, she has only gone above and beyond. Most notably, within the Fever’s most recent reign of victory where she led the league in scoring throughout August with 26.3 points per game (ppg).
While many have benefited from Caitlin Clark’s ability to stretch the floor as well as be a threat going downhill, arguably none have been more positioned for success than Mitchell who moved into No. 15 in league history on Sept. 1 with 533 made three-pointers while also continuing to solidify herself as one of the most lethal weapons with the dribble.
For Clark, the impact that Mitchell has had on Indiana, both on and off the court, hasn’t gone unnoticed.
“This is somebody who’s been with this organization for seven years so if anybody deserves this, it’s Kels,” For myself, as a rookie, she’s always very positive, supportive and for me, that makes me feel welcome coming in and getting to play with someone who’s been good for an organization. … I just know that’s not every situation for a rookie so, I’m just very thankful.”
Fever Offense Heating Up
Arguably no player was more in need of the Olympic break than Clark who has come back from their hiatus and set records while continuing to put the league on notice as a player who will be a problem both now and in the future.
Since the Olympic break, she has averaged 24.6 ppg while leading the league in assists per game (APG) with nine a night along with setting the record for most threes made by a rookie with 86 in Indiana’s win over Connecticut on Aug. 28.
And with each night comes another highlight reel of plays headlined by Clark, none has stood out more in recent memory than the back-and-forth exchanged between her and Connecticut’s DiJonai Carrington.
Clark’s ability to muscle in a bucket at the rim against Carrington comes as a byproduct of many things. First, her continual growth to handle defensive pressure throughout the season while Carrington remains cognoscente of her pull-up, the added pressure that Mitchell applies by waiting in the corner keeps the help side occupied and freeing Clark for the drive.
While only one play, it’s yet another microcosm of the growth that has trickled throughout a team that sits amongst the top of the league in offense when averaging 107 points per 100 possessions while also continuing to grow on defense when sitting at seventh in the league.
Other numbers to note:
- Over their last seven games, Clark and Mitchell currently average 51.2 ppg while shooting 50% from the field as a duo
- Lexie Hull has shot 60% from the field including 17 for 25 from three in seven games
- Aliyah Boston is currently averaging nearly 4.5 apg since the Olympic break
Follow Beyond Women’s Sports for more from the world of sports.
