The Indiana Fever fell short in the WNBA playoffs by losing in the first round against the Las Vegas Aces. The Fever dominated teams all season with their trio of Caitlin Clark, Kelsey Mitchell, and Aliyah Boston. So, what can help the Fever make it to the finals? The offense isn’t the problem. The Fever need key pieces to help their defense put away games instead of leaving them to close calls and near-losses.
The Indiana Fever finished 28-16 on the season, 6th overall in the league and 3rd overall in the East. The Fever made a big offseason move already by letting go of Amber Cox as their general manager. The first step is to find a new GM and keep their core players by adding strong defensive players.
The Key Roster Moves For The Fever
The Indiana Fever did not have any named defensive players on the All-WNBA Defensive Team this season. The Fever ranked number three in averaging seven steals per game, while the Atlanta Dream had star guard Angel Reese named best defensive player of the year and ranked number one in the league, averaging eight steals per game. Atlanta had three players named to an All-WNBA Defensive Team. Angel Reese and Rhyne Howard were both First Team honorees, while Jordin Canada earned Second Team honors.
Lexi Hull was the player for the Fever who they depended on to make plays defensively, but she sadly regressed towards the second half the season. Building defensive and bench depth can help the Fever improve in their game. The one key issue that can occur for the Fever in pursuing a top defensive player is Kelsey Mitchell. Mitchell is an unrestricted free agent this offseason, and depending on whether the Fever re-sign the star guard, it could eat up cap space. If the Fever move on from Mitchell, they will have to replace her with a high-end, perimeter defensive stopper who can still space the floor.
The Fever must add length and depth to take pressure off Clark defensively. Jackie Young will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason and is known for being a lockdown perimeter defender. If Mitchell does not re-sign with the Fever, this would be an ideal move to complement Clark in the Fever’s backcourt, largely because she can become the elite defender Indiana’s roster is currently missing.
With adding additional defensive minded players Indiana’s Head coach Stephanie White can put together more combinations on the floor with her players to help out Hull and Clark on their defensive game.
End Of My Fever Rant
If the Indiana Fever can build length and depth, and figure out their cap space with either Mitchell returning to the Fever or not, they will have to get key defensive players to help them win in the playoffs in order to make it to the WNBA Finals. The Atlanta Dream showed the blueprint on how to make it to the Finals despite falling short of victory. The Fever have the talent to bring it together; they just need a little help on the defensive side of the ball.
