3 GREATEST FEARS FOR THE INDIANA FEVER

WRITTEN + EDITED BY JORDYN BONTRAGER

Prior to the start of the season, there were nothing but positive opinions surrounding the outlook for the Indiana Fever. Fresh off the franchise’s first postseason appearance since 2016, the vibes were sky high for the world’s newly anointed most popular basketball team. And after the front office replaced Christie Sides for Stephanie White + upgraded the supporting cast across the board, the Fev show found themselves tied with defending runner-up Minnesota for the second highest title odds in the league (+330). All signs seemed to indicate that a massive leap was inbound in Indianapolis…

…but instead the squad has seemingly taken a step back thus far.

After a sluggish 2-4 start to the SZN, loftier first impressions have tapered off a tad. Needless to say, there was always going to be some inevitable early season rust to shake off. Still, every game counts and the last two (losses to Washington + Connecticut) were a little concerning considering those teams’ rebuilding status (with all due respect to both squads who no doubt house some pure HOOPERS).

While it is certainly not time to panic, there are definitely a few minor things for Fever fans to fear as we look forward.

CAITLIN CLARK’S QUAD

At the end of the day, the Indiana Fever are only going as far as Caitlin Clark takes them. Her presence on the floor brings out the best in everyone around her, and her presence on this roster is the primary reason why Indiana has become the WNBA’s premier free agent destination.

But everything changes when the catalyst is not on the court, and her team is now stuck with the unfortunate displeasure of learning that for themselves. With Clark sidelined for at least another week or two, her teammates have struggled to find their rhythm in her absence. CC’s backup, 11-year vet Sydney Colson, provides an undeniably steady hand from the point guard position. But she is incredibly overcast in the starting lineup, and now finds herself on the shelf after suffering an upper leg injury against the Mystics. To make matters worse, Sophie Cunningham (whom has been forced into some non-negotiable floor general minutes) went down with an ankle injury in the same contest.

Kelsey Mitchell can capably handle some run at the 1, but she is nowhere near a natural point guard. Newly-inked guard Aari McDonald will surely help with the situation, but at the end of the day there is only one true point guard on this roster capable of guiding this team to the promised land.

TOO MANY COOKS IN THE KITCHEN?

With so much talent up and down this roster, many assumed that the Fever would possess too much firepower for opposing teams to handle. But anytime you compile a squad as stacked as Amber Cox did, it is always going to take time for them to build cohesion. And when your top chef is out of commission, the timeframe for a sense of synergy stretches even longer.

There are a lot of tantalizing ingredients within this recipe, but they have to find the right balance of each in order to deliver a championship entree.

EXPECTATIONS > REALITY

Remember when the Miami Heat sparked global headlines by securing the services of LeBron James x Chris Bosh? If so, then you can also recall the shameful disappointment which accompanied that team after being manhandled by Dirk and the Dallas Mavericks in the 2011 NBA Finals.

Acquiring the likes of DeWanna Bonner, Natasha Howard and Sophie Cunningham may not be quite as seismic, but those were 3 of the top available players on the open market this offseason (assuming Cunningham was on the block given the recent scandal connected to her and the Phoenix Mercury organization). When the dust settled from a hectic free agency period, Indiana came away looking like a potential juggernaut. For the first time in roughly a decade, Fever fans and the national media alike had championship expectations for this team.

Now that reality has provided legitimate evidence, perhaps it may be time to temper those expectations a bit…

…perhaps not…

¡KEEP GOING, FEV SHOW!