The Indiana Fever appears to be seeing visible cracks in the team foundation they have worked so hard to build.
On May 30, the Fever suffered a heartbreaking 100-84 loss to the expansion team Portland Fire. Indiana committed 18 turnovers, gave up 52 points in the paint, and allowed the Fire to extend its lead to 26 points. Indiana also allowed 37 points in the third quarter and was in foul trouble. If that wasn’t enough, Caitlin Clark was held to just six points. To add insult to injury, footage of the tense fever timeout went viral on social media after the game.
The current hot topic is that head coach Stephanie White removed Clark from the bench after what appeared to be disagreements between the two. As White asked Raven Johnson to sit where Clark used to be, Kelsey Mitchell and Makayla Timpson stood behind the coach and tried to calm Clark, who shook his head repeatedly.
To be clear, moments like this are not uncommon during difficult matches, and they happen often. But the public usually doesn’t recognize the friction between Clark and White, or even Fever. Indiana has done a great job of keeping locker room dynamics out of the public eye the past few seasons.
If moments like this are happening on the sidelines, what’s going on in the locker room?
At the very least, it’s clear that there’s some frustration. Indiana is 4-4 and ranked No. 9 in the WNBA, but it is used to being a team that imposes its will. The Fever likes to get off to a fast start, with shooters scoring early and often. By the time the other team tries to catch up, the game gets out of hand.
But this season, teams have gone head-to-head against the Fever, and Indiana has had to make mistakes, especially defensively.
They have allowed more than 80 points in five of their eight games, and three of those have been over 100 points. The Fever has made 17 shots from beyond the arc and scored 94 points in the paint over the past two games. Indiana is on offense and surrendering just as much, if not more, and that can’t happen.
On the other hand, there is also the possibility that outward cracks in the once-close relationship may spread to the court. If Indiana doesn’t live up to the team’s high standards and has an underwhelming season, some may point to this moment as just the beginning of disaster.
The Fever had already been in the spotlight over the treatment of Clark’s back injury, but now that they’re on a losing streak, a moment that would normally take place in the locker room has been made public. If Indiana doesn’t right the ship soon, it will teeter under the pressure.
However, unless you pattern it, this is nothing to worry about. There will be disagreements and tough moments throughout the season that will shape the team, for better or worse. A lot will be told by how Fever reacts going forward.
The ball is in your court, Indiana.
