Aliyah Boston has quietly built one of the most consistent frontcourt resumes in the league. This week, she put a number on it. The Indiana Fever center is now fourth on the WNBA’s all-time list for points scored before turning 25. With this, she joined an elite club which includes names like Tina Charles and Diana Taurasi.

The list itself tells the story. Lauren Jackson leads with 2,853 points, followed by Charles at 2,243 and Taurasi at 2,149. Boston sits right behind them at 2,104 and tied with Seimone Augustus, as per a graphic shared by ESPN’s Holly Rowe on X.

But the gap is closing fast. Boston turns 25 only in December, giving her the rest of this season to climb past Taurasi and into third. Reaching this point in just her fourth year says as much about her role on this Fever team as it does about the milestone itself. She has become one of Indiana’s three foundational pieces, alongside Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell and all three were named starters for the 2026 All-Star Game.

Boston is a product of steady growth rather than a single breakout. She has improved in some way every season since Indiana took her No.1 overall in 2o23, winning the Rookie of the Year award. This year, she is averaging 17.0 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 2.9 assists, and 1.1 steals per game. She remains the team’s defensive anchor, leading Indiana in rebounds, blocks, and steals.

Boston’s value isn’t just confined to that end of the floor either. Boston fills the scoring gap whenever Clark or Mitchell sits. This is a role that has grown alongside her efficiency. She averaged close to 14 points a game as a rookie and the number climbed past 17 this season, on 50.2% shooting from the field.

She has extended her game as a facilitator too, posting an 18.1% assist rate that lets her set up teammates rather than just clean up the boards. That two-way dependability has held steady through coaching and front-office changes in Indiana, the kind of instability that tends to shake up a roster’s rotation. Boston has started every game she’s played across four seasons, a streak now approaching 142 appearances.

That reliability is exactly why her availability matters so much to how far the Fever can go.

Indiana Needs Boston For A Deep Playoff Run

With a 12-8 record for the season, things are looking fine for the Fever. However, the record masks the defensive troubles they have faced this season, especially when Boston is off the court.

Indiana is the highest-scoring team in the WNBA on a per-game basis. However, at times, they allow their opponents to score freely as well. They are the only team in WNBA history to lose 4 games in a season when scoring 100+ points.

They lose significant paint control and rim protection when Boston is rotated off the court. With their free-scoring system, they commit a lot of turnovers when Boston is not present to anchor things.

They have also struggled with foul calls this season. They rank number one when it comes to personal fouls per game, at 24.0, as per StatMuse.

Teams have time and again used the strategy of isolating their offensive players like Caitlin Clark in transition play to stretch their defense. With a team of Indiana’s caliber, anything less than a deep playoff run would be a disappointment in the eyes of their fans.

Indiana have also fancied themselves as title contenders before the start of the season. But for that to happen, they will need to figure out as to how to plug their tactical gaps, especially in transition and defensive play.

Indiana has the talent to make a deep run. This seems very much plausible with Boston, Clark and Mitchell all healthy and now sharing an All-Star backcourt-and front-billing. Whether they close these tactical gaps in transition defense will decide if that talent translates in postseason.