With superstar Caitlin Clark sidelined indefinitely and their roster ravaged by season-ending injuries, every game is a test of resilience for the Indiana Fever. After a gutsy 92-70 win over the Chicago Sky, the team’s relief was palpable, but so was the strain of their new reality. In the post-game press conference, it was Lexie Hull who perfectly captured the situation, admitting that the team’s injury crisis has forced players like Sophie Cunningham and Kelsey Mitchell into new, uncomfortable roles for the sake of the team.

The Fever entered the game against the Sky having just lost two straight, including a tough one in Phoenix where, as Kelsey Mitchell put it, “life happened.” The team was reeling from the news that guards Sydney Colson (torn ACL) and Aari McDonald (broken foot) were out for the season. However, they made sure they held on strong for the team and the sidelined teammates. “We could have looked at it like, oh, woe is me and, you know, we don’t have enough players,” Mitchell said. “And we didn’t.”

Instead, they showed up, and that meant players had to sacrifice. With no healthy point guards on the roster, the ball-handling duties fell to players who aren’t used to running the show. That is exactly the uncomfortable new reality Hull was talking about. “I think Kelsey’s not giving herself enough credit,” Hull said, praising her teammates. “Her and Sophie putting themselves before the team, you know, making sure that they’re sacrificing playing out of position, doing things that they don’t normally do, maybe uncomfortable, but I think they both really did a great job.”

For Sophie Cunningham, a natural wing, that meant becoming the de facto point guard. She stepped into the role and delivered a steady, confident performance, putting up 16 points on efficient shooting and running the offense with control. And thanks to Cunningham’s leadership, Lexie Hull had a strong comeback game, putting up 17 points. To the “enforcer’s” credit, she’s embracing the pressure. In a season where she’s already acknowledged the team’s villain status, saying, “We are circled on everybody’s schedule. No one likes us,” she’s now shouldering the added weight of a new position while navigating the on-court intensity, which recently included a heated exchange with former teammate DeWanna Bonner.

All of this is happening under the shadow of Clark’s absence. Her lingering groin injury remains a mystery, with teammate Sophie Cunningham calling it a “weird injury” where “she’s not in pain all the time.” The team is being “extra cautious,” but with no timetable for her return, the uncomfortable reality for Cunningham and the rest of the Fever is that they have to find a way to win without her.

In Caitlin Clark’s absence, Kelsey Mitchell’s “vulnerable” leadership emerges

While Sophie Cunningham’s sacrifice was visible, Kelsey Mitchell’s was just as crucial. A natural scorer, she, too, was forced into a primary playmaking role, something she admitted she hasn’t done since college. The experience, she said, was humbling.

“I don’t know, it brings out the vulnerable side of me, the leadership in which I need to keep getting better at and keep growing at,” Mitchell confessed after the game, where she dished out a season-high eight assists to go with her 26 points. “I think being this PG position kind of helps with that… I think they made me look good tonight.”

But behind the on-court success, the emotional toll of the team’s situation is undeniable. When asked about a lighthearted moment during the game where an injured Clark playfully booed a timeout call, Mitchell’s answer was raw and revealing.

“We got to laugh to keep from crying,” she admitted. “Losing Syd was big. Losing Aari McDonald was big. And not having CC is even bigger. Those three not being here, we gotta take every joy that we can.”

It’s that mentality—finding joy in the struggle and leaning on each other—that is keeping the Fever’s playoff hopes alive. They aren’t making excuses. As Mitchell put it, “No one’s gonna hand us anything. So, we might as well look at it for what it is and keep showing up.” For now, that means players stepping into uncomfortable roles and finding a way to win, together.