INDIANA FEVER PRESEASON PLAYER POWER RANKINGS

WRITTEN + EDITED BY JORDYN BONTRAGER

We are officially under a week from the commencement of the perennial WNBA preseason festivities, and it feels as though we have been waiting for this time to come for an eternity. With so much offseason star shuffling transpiring amongst the Fever’s competitors, the association’s most trending team found themselves slightly overshadowed within the headlines at times….

….but that statement is by no means intended to dethrone Indiana from it’s position atop the league’s 2025 offseason winner’s circle.

2 years ago, the Fever girls finished the 2023 campaign owning the W’s 3rd-worst record (13-27). The franchise full on flipped the axis it’s trajectory a year ago, producing one of the GOAT bounce back seasons en route to ending (tied for) the longest playoff drought in league history (7 seasons). Fast forward to the present, and the WNBA’s sickest team (hehe) now holds a tie with the Las Vegas Aces for the 2nd-best odds (+350) to bring home the end of SZN bling bling.

With so many valuable imports transferring into Gainbridge district to join forces with the core nucleus of last season’s squad beneath the guidance of new head coach/renowned hoops aficionado Stephanie White + rookie front office needle-mover Amber Cox, there is no finite number to accurately measure the massive momentum swing that the Fever’s pendulum is actively enduring. In all reality, this team has all the parts to punish the league as a whole. But if that feasibility is going to come to fruition, each one of those aforementioned parts must fully invest themselves into the team’s ultimate aspirations while relinquishing any sense of individual ego which their prior performance may have produced.

Every player must buy into whatever role which White assigns them, and furthermore must also comprehend where they stand within the grander hierarchy of this roster.

Here is how each current Fever girl ranks in regards to their relevance to Indiana’s success looking ahead to the big things to come this SZN.

15 = JILLIAN ALLEYNE

After she gave Tarsus Belediyesi Mersin (Turkey’s KBSL) a season of pure domination (18.6 PPG | 13.8 RPG | 2.5 SPG | 1.4 BPG) throughout 2024-2025, Amber Cox and her executive companions elected to give former 2016 Pac-12 co-Player of the Year Jillian Alleyne a shot to earn her red x blue x yellow stripes. The 6’2” center has been out of the league since 2021, and has the toughest path of anyone in earning one of the team’s 12 final roster spots.

14 = YVONNE EJIM

Following a top shelf 5-year tenure at Gonzaga, Yvonne Ejim’s dreams came true upon hearing her name announced as the Fever’s #33 selection in this month’s draft. The 6’1” center plays with the type of infectious energy that yields collaboration from her teammates, and has the potential to procure some prevalence on her name as time progresses in her professional playing career. Unfortunately, she is likely looking at a similar fate to Alleyne being that there is a maximum of 12 contracts granted to each organization and this particular organization happens to be ripe with reliable frontcourt options ahead of her on the depth chart.

13 = JAELYN BROWN

Brown, who was featured in the four-team trade which landed Sophie Cunningham in the Circle City, is far from a household name following a relatively silent rookie season in Dallas last year. Regardless, the athletic wing possesses the physical gifts to familiarize herself with casual fans. With Natasha Howard x DeWanna Bonner x Sophie Cunningham x Lexie Hull occupying most (if not all) major minutes at the forward spots, Brown finds herself in a roster spot battle with the next name on this list.

12 = BREE HALL

Where Brown is more documented for her athleticism, this year’s #20 draft pick Bree Hall has a reputation more tailored towards her steady 3&D capabilities. There were no eye-popping flashes of superstardom throughout her four NCAA seasons at South Carolina, but she exhibited consistency as a shooting threat (career 36.9% from distance) + a willingness to avoid forcing things (hardly turned the ball over) AND has the length to cause issues for opposing perimeter scorers.

She undoubtedly has the edge over Brown in this inevitable race for multiple reasons: she is over four years younger + the team hand-selected her as opposed to picking her up as a trade ‘throw-in’ + played with Aliyah Boston for two years under Dawn Staley’s Gamecocks.

11 = MAKAYLA TIMPSON

Everything seemed to be heading in a positive direction for Makayla Timpson leading up to this month’s draft. Her monster senior SZN garnered a number of major recognitions, most notably her nod on the All-ACC First Team + All-ACC Defensive Team. Simpson’s primary calling card is connected to her superior shot-swatting skills, and she has progressively become better and better in this area (ascended from the nation’s 12th-most BPG at 2.6 in 2023-2024 to the nation’s 3rd-most BPG at 3.1 this past season). Factor in the ability to single-handedly control the boards which she showcased at Florida State, and you have the makings of a rookie who could force her coaching staff’s hand when it comes to finding her minutes.

10 = DAMIRIS DANTAS

Due to some unforeseen personal matters + a non-WNBA team injury which she either sustained off the court or while playing in Turkey last offseason, the Indiana Fever were essentially able to hold the rights to veteran stretch big Damiris Dantas as she recovered. Upon receiving the medical staff’s green light to return to action, the front office activated the Brazilian’s contract while simultaneously waiving Celeste Taylor in order to make roster room. Dantas rewarded the organization for this decision, supplying a steady source of outside shooting (39.4%) and overall smarts on both ends of the floor. As 1 of only 5 returnees from last year’s team, Dantas will have the pre-existing chemistry upper hand over her fellow frontcourt mates. She also has a track record of SHOWING UP in the playoffs, and could win the Fever a game or two when it matters the most in the months to come.

9 = SYDNEY COLSON

Sydney Colson has never done anything spectacular in terms of her on-court production through her first 10 WNBA seasons, but she has developed a reputation as one of the more beloved teammates across the league. Now let’s not get it twisted: the Fever are going to count on her to provide quality backup PG minutes when Caitlin Clark is off the floor (she is the only other true floor general on the team). However, odds are that we may see a slight uptick in Kelsey Mitchell minutes at point this year/the offense running through Boston when CC rests. With those things in mind, Colson’s primary duties should be staying in Clark’s ear and serving as a leadership presence for her younger teammates to look to for wisdom.

8 = BRIANNA TURNER

Sure, Brianna Turner has encountered a bit of a decline over the past couple campaigns after coming out of the gates quickly during her first few seasons in Phoenix. Still, the soon-to-be 29-year-old power forward has the defensive acumen + athletic agility to make her presence felt on the less glamorous end of the floor this year with the Fever. Just like the previously mentioned bigs, Turner has quite a bit of competition in earning/keeping a regular spot in the rotation. But if she can provide similar energy this year to what Temi Fagbenle gave this team last year, we like her chances.

7 = LEXIE HULL

As the first member mentioned from the ‘meat and potatoes’ of this rotation, Lexie Hull was everything (and more) that this fanbase hoped she would be last year. Her runner-up finish amongst the most accurate snipers in the league speaks for itself (hit a ridiculous 47.1% of her triple tries last year), but it is her suffocating style of perimeter defense which will ultimately keep her on the court in crunch time. Her mix of size + speed allows her to defend anyone in the league not named A’Ja Wilson, Brittney Griner, and those type of bouldering big bodies. There is absolutely zero doubt that Hull’s rotation spot remains, but a few of the upcoming names make it tough to decipher whether she will once again suit up with the starters or primarily come off the pine.

6 = SOPHIE CUNNINGHAM

If confidence were the top KPI in basketball, Sophie Cunningham would be right up there with the W’s best. She is one of those shooters who could miss her first 10 shots from beyond the arc and then bury a game-winner from distance as if nothing happened. Her + Hull arm the offensive focal points with a pair of deadeye shooters to seek out when attacking the cup, but like Hull it will be the defensive end where Cunningham will make her most meaningful mark. You already know that both are going to bring a bunch of gritty spirit on D, so deciding which ends the game with the closing unit could vary from game-to-game based on who is hitting their shots.

5 = NATASHA HOWARD

With all due respect to NaLyssa Smith, the power forward position was the weakest link in the starting lineup as things played out last year. Her raw numbers were far from terrible (24.8 MPG | 10.6 PPG | 7.1 RPG | 1.0 APG vs 1.3 TOPG | 0.8 SPG | 1.0 BPG | 48.0% FG | 29.2% 3FG | 56.7% FT), but the fans were quick to label her the scapegoat for virtually any/all problems which the team came across. While much of those complaints were baseless, do not let those raw stock numbers reflected above convince you that she is always engaged on the defensive end. As her offensive role dimmed slowly throughout the year, you could see a direct correlation to her lethargic defensive effort at times.

Now, Natasha Howard is not an upgrade over Smith in terms of offense even though her raw numbers were higher than her predecessors (a classic case of big numbers on a bad team). She is, however, a mega step up on D and really from an overall team chemistry perspective. The 2019 Defensive Player of the Year (+ 2x All-WNBA Defense First Team) has certainly lost a step since those years, but her defensive literacy remains. And her shooting stroke is nowhere near deadly, defenders must at least respect her willingness to shoot if left open. Plus, she seems to have polished her offensive skillset around the edges as she has matured (she has set a new personal single season APG record in each of the past 3 seasons).

4 = DEWANNA BONNER

You could rationally chalk Howard + DeWanna Bonner up as a tie on this list, but Bonner has just enough more sauce than her fellow incoming Fever veteran forward. Bonner is one of the W’s most dynamic players, possessing the size x speed x length x skillset to absorb minutes across literally any position. The team’s oldest player (turns 38 in August) might not be thrilled with the idea, but bringing Bonner off the bench could/should/will be extremely beneficial for the balance of this team.

With Clark (19.2 PPG), Mitchell (19.1 PPG) and Boston (14.0 PPG) each capable of erupting within the starting lineup on any given night, it would be wise to stash Bonner’s career 14.9 PPG off the pine. Obviously, she would see plenty of time next to each of the 3-headed monster. However, take a moment to imagine a proven, 3-level scorer of Bonner’s nature squaring off with opposing bench mobs. She would instantly become the favorite for Sixth Player of the Year, and Howard’s ‘glue’ skillset should/would/will more effectively complement the stars with the starters.

3 = KELSEY MITCHELL

There is a great probability of Kelsey Mitchell’s patented #0 becoming the 2nd jersey number retired in the Fever’s 26-year history. In all reality, finding another perimeter scorer more difficult to stay in front of is no small task. She may not average the most points in the league (or even on her own team), but we are talking about the league’s quickest player by a landslide. It took her and CC a little time to establish a real rhythm, but it was a must-see TV once they worked through the feel-out phase and became comfortable with each other’s strengths + weaknesses.

She should/is in store for her third consecutive All-Star appearance, and will once again serve as Clark’s primary offensive sidekick. With a full season under their belt together, scary hours are in store for opposing defenders.

2 = ALIYAH BOSTON

While Mitchell is Clark’s clear-cut Robin offensively, Aliyah Boston is next in line after Clark when it comes to franchise cornerstone status with the Fever. The 2023 Rookie of the Year turned in another outstanding season last year, displaying growth as a playmaker and maturity as a leader. As long as Clark and Mitchell are around, she will never be tasked with supplying 20-25 PPG (even though she has that type of potential). On the contrary, she simply needs to continue evolving her game in other areas as she did last year (a boost in outside shooting efficiency would be just what the doctor ordered).

Boston is not quite as vital overall as the next name on this list nor is she quite as integral to the team’s scoring numbers as the previous name on this list, but she is right there with them in regards to her correlation to the team’s championship chase.

1 = CAITLIN CLARK

Duh.