5 INDIANA FEVER FIRST IMPRESSIONS

WRITTEN + EDITED BY JORDYN BONTRAGER

With a mere trifecta of games in the rearview mirror, it goes without saying that only time will tell how far the Indiana Fever can climb in the sequel season of the Caitlin Clark experience. 3 games is obviously far too small a sample size to come to any final conclusions, but it is plenty enough time to start building hypotheses regarding what is to come.

Here are the 5 most clear first impressions following the Fever’s 2-1 start to the SZN.

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1: CAITLIN CLARK MVP SZN LOADING…

CC slightly edged reigning MVP A’ja Wilson for best odds (+200 vs. +225) to bring home the most compelling individual accolade just prior to the start of the season’s commencement. Clark was unstoppable x everywhere en route to her third career trip dub during the opening night onslaught against Chicago, then followed that up with another dominant showing (27 points x 5 rebounds x 11 assists: 3 turnovers x 2 steals x 5 made 3’s) in a tough wire-to-wire loss to Atlanta a few nights later.

She struggled to find her rhythm offensively while coping with foul trouble in last night’s road victory over the Dream, but appears to have a heightened chip on her shoulder as she seeks the next step in her legend. We have already witnessed multiple doses of the dog within her sprinting to the surface, and the rest of the W would be wise to avoid any smoke with her unless they intend to unlock a different animal inside of her cranium.

2: ALIYAH BOSTON ASCENSION INBOUND

Like her famous floor general, Aliyah Boston endured an off night in yesterday’s re-do dub over Atlanta (23 minutes x 4 points x 7 rebounds x 3 assists x 0 blocks x 0 steals). Also similar to Clark, Boston was absolutely hooping + giving ‘league’s-best-big-body-as-soon-as -this -season’ in the opening pair of contests. Now in her junior WNBA year, she has blossomed into a bonafide anchor on the less glamorous end while evolving into one of the league’s most (if not MOST) polished offensive bigs with a repertoire which is continuously expanding.

Indiana Fever fans should rejoice in the fact that they have the next decade to watch this young duo grow up together on the basketball court.

3: NATASHA HOWARD IS THE STABILIZER

With all due respect to former Fever power forward/bucket NaLyssa Smith (averaging 8.7 PPG + 5.0 RPG this season with the Wings), Natasha Howard just brings a better overall presence on the court when it comes to the personnel surrounding her. She may not be much more lethal in terms of outside marksmanship (1-3 vs. Smith’s 0-3 from deep to start the SZN), but her rugged nature and intelligent instincts have equipped the starting unit with another bouldering source of defensive dominance up front next to Boston.

Howard more or less put the team on her back last night (26 XL points), which is quite refreshing considering she is likely the team’s 5th option in the scoring hierarchy line. She needs to cut down on her turnovers (10 so far), but that will come with increased live reps with her new running mates. Once she gets that sorted out, Natasha Howard might just produce her way into the All-Star conversation.

MIGHT.

4: LEXIE HULL IS THE X-FACTOR

We have touched on this topic in the past, and there is no denying Lexie Hull’s spot as the spark plug of this rotation. Hull and Sophie Cunningham are eerily similar in nearly all facets of the game, but Hull possesses quite a bit more explosiveness from an athleticism standpoint. You already know what you are going to get from her as an elite outside shooting threat, and the energy she brings at the point of attack defensively is among the game’s best. She nearly notched a double-double in the opener (9 points x 9 rebounds), and now looks much more confident making things happen with the ball in her hands (4 slick dimes last night).

Cunningham has gone on record in endorsing Hull as a legitimate DPOY candidate, and if she wins that race her newly-minted engagement ring will likely not be the only piece of bling she adds to her jewelry collection in the months to come.

5: INDIANA IS THE WNBA’S ACTIVE TEAM TO BEAT

Can we take a moment to recognize that DeWanna Bonner, the league’s 3rd all-time leading scorer + Fev Show’s starting small forward (more on that to come in the future…), has connected on a mere 2 of her first 12 shot attempts this season? Imagine the nightmares opposing defenses are going to have to endure once she inevitably finds her footing with the Fever.

This team is far and away the WNBA’s most polarizing franchise in the present, and they have all the pieces in place to prove the buzz worthy of it’s volume. That includes a basketball guru running the show from the sidelines, one with a sense of style that your team’s coach could never reciprocate.

Keep going, Steph + Fev Show Co!