Entering this season, Indiana was all set for the hottest 2024 pick in the league to break out of her rookie shell — mistakes and all. And there were some real mistakes. Caitlin Clark held the WNBA record for most turnovers in a rookie season (223). Indiana was hoping for a better turnover situation this year, but instead, the “sophomore slump” hit hard. Clark alone accounts for nearly 40% of Indiana’s 12.9 turnovers per game. A recent example came from that 89-81 loss to the Aces.

Caitlin Clark’s sloppy plays broke a 69-69 tie and led to two straight losses for the Fever. But now, her absence, due to a right groin injury, might’ve given the rest of the squad a rare chance to regroup. The ball is flowing smoother across the hardwood, and Stephanie white might have just acknowledged that. Last night’s 78-74 win over Seattle marked the Fever franchise’s fifth straight victory. That’s their longest winning streak of the season. Actually, scratch that. It’s their longest since the Catchings era, with just one exception (Aug 27 to Sept 5, 2024). And the kicker is that this time, they did it all without Caitlin Clark.

Yep, no floor general. No ROTY frontrunner. No flamethrower from three. Just a team stepping up. White summed it up perfectly:
“While we don’t like it, sometimes it can be a blessing in disguise because everybody else finds themselves, right?” And she’s not wrong, it’s truly a blessing in disguise because it forced Indiana’s supporting cast to step up. Kelsey Mitchell, Aari McDonald, Aliyah Boston, Natasha Howard, Sophie Cunningham, all of them, have seen their usage and confidence spike.

Just last night, Indiana (17-12) led by 12 with under just five to play, only for Seattle (16-13) to storm back within one in the final minute. That’s when Kelsey Mitchell made a clutch midrange jumper to push the lead to three. Seattle missed six of its last seven shots, Aliyah Boston made 2 of her free throws with just 2 seconds left. Just like that, with collective effort, the Fever walked away with a win that said one thing loud and clear: even without Caitlin Clark, this team is playoff material. Even Sophie Cunningham gets that.

“I don’t think that it [Clark’s absence] affects us anymore,” she earlier said. “We know how to play with her. If we don’t have Caitlin, great. We know how to play without her.” And play, they have. Earlier in the season, the Fever crumbled when opponents made late runs, regardless of how “winnable” the game looked on paper. June and July for them were plagued by blown second-half leads. A 13-point cushion against Golden State turned into an 11-point loss. A double-digit lead over Las Vegas? Gone. A 10-point fourth-quarter advantage over LA on June 26? Flipped into a 10-point defeat.

But that’s not the case anymore. Just look at the numbers:

Fever Record With & Without Caitlin Clark (as of August 3, 2025)

Although, is this permanent? Can Indiana Fever Keep Winning Without Caitlin Clark? Have a look at our Fans’ Verdict.

Another ‘Blessing in Disguise’ in Caitlin Clark’s Absence

After Friday’s win over Dallas, Indiana had notched its fourth straight victory but Kelsey Mitchell wasn’t exactly in the mood to pop the champagne. “Hats off to Dallas… but I think we took some time off,” she said. She was frustrated by what she saw as a winnable game nearly slipping through their fingers. Yet despite her dissatisfaction, even she couldn’t ignore one truth: something had shifted. And maybe, just maybe, it was the kind of shift that only comes when a star goes missing and it let’s the others shine.

Enter: Indiana’s real blessing in disguise. Aari McDonald wasn’t supposed to be here. Not like this. Not as the stand-in for a generational playmaker like Caitlin Clark, who’s missed 15+ games this season (including every one of the Fever’s current wining streak) due to a lingering groin injury. But McDonald’s arrival has done more than plug a hole; it’s rewired Indiana’s DNA.

“She is our blessing in disguise,” Mitchell said. “We always tell her that we appreciate her seriously, because our season was all over the place… It takes a lot for a pro to step up, be where her feet is, and fill in shoes that not a lot of people expect.” Since officially joining for the remainder of the season on June 25, Aari McDonald has given the Fever real structure. Her speed keeps the offense in gear. Her floor vision opens up fast breaks.

And if New York had just fumbled a few games? Don’t blink. Indiana could have been staring down second place. That was unlikely to happen, but it was a peek into what could have been, if maybe Aari played for the Fever since the beginning.