The Indiana Fever last won a WNBA title in 2012, but they’re definitely in win-now mode.
They have an über-talent in Caitlin Clark. Kelsey Mitchell is a star in her own right. And with Aliyah Boston protecting the paint, few teams can match Indy’s Big 3.
And yet, for the second season in a row, their title hopes died at the hands of the Las Vegas Aces. This time it was in the opening round. There’s no shame in losing to the Aces, but frustration is valid.
In 2025, they didn’t have Clark, who was out
with an injury. In 2026, with her available and another year of chemistry, it didn’t make a difference. They still were eliminated. At least last season, they lost to the eventual champs. But this year, the Aces then were eliminated in the semifinals by the Golden State Valkyries.
Now the Fever can’t even take solace in losing to the best. So if Indiana doesn’t have enough to win it all, what needs to change?
What went right in Indiana?
No backcourt in basketball is better than Clark and Mitchell.
Clark averaged 22.3 points and 8.3 assists per game. Many of those dimes landed in Mitchell’s hands. She averaged 24.7 points per game while converting on 50.9 percent of her shots and making 45 percent of her 3-pointers.
This duo was so good and important to Indy’s success that they both finished top four in MVP voting.
The Fever may have fallen short of their goal, but keeping these two guards together has to be a top priority this offseason as they look to build around them.
While the Fever have the best backcourt, their frontcourt has a tremendous talent in Boston. She averaged 16.1 points and 8.0 rebounds and earned her fourth All-Star appearance in as many seasons.
Thanks to this trio, the Fever won a lot this season.
With a 28-16 record, this was the third-winningest season in franchise history. The two seasons that were better were back in 2009 and 2012. In both of those campaigns, they reached the Finals.
What went wrong in Indiana?
It’s amazing that the Fever were so successful amid the chaos they live in.
Every disgruntled look by Clark at her head coach, Stephanie White, became national news. It felt like Sophie Cunningham would make a controversial comment any time she was near a podcast mic, and the Fever fans would even partake in the madness.
After DiJonai Carrington committed a tough foul on Cunningham, fans didn’t like White’s response. They booed her, and the next game she had enough and went on an epic pregame rant.
It’s hard to tell how much all of this impacted the team’s on-court success. They still won despite the distractions, but it certainly wasn’t a positive.
On the floor, the Fever would oscillate from a contender to a pretender. The offense was potent enough to beat anyone, but the defense left a lot to be desired. Indiana’s defensive rating was 108.3. That was eighth in the WNBA.
That won’t cut it if the goal is to win a championship.
What’s next for Indiana?
When win-now teams lose, change is next.
The Fever have had winning years with White as coach, but they haven’t turned it into a championship. Does she have the backing of Clark and the front office? We are about to find out.
Mitchell is an unrestricted free agent this offseason. She’s been part of this franchise for nine years and will now get a chance to see what her options are. While Indiana has been her only home, she’s seen firsthand the problems that come with playing there.
That toxicity could motivate Mitchell to take her talents elsewhere.
This will be a big offseason for the Fever.
If they can retain Mitchell and add some other key players alongside their Big 3, they can be favorites to win it all next year. But a couple of bad moves and next thing you know, Clark will be wondering if this is the place to try and win it all.
Basketball history is filled with great talents who never win, and with Angel Reese in a WNBA Finals with the Atlanta Dream and the two-year-old Valkyries also competing for the title, she’s seen what’s possible in this league.
It’s time for the Fever to prove this is the place to be.
