With DeWanna Bonner’s veteran firepower joining a backcourt led by Caitlin Clark and anchored by Aliyah Boston, Indiana projects as a top‑3 title contender. Yet after consecutive preseason wins, Coach Stephanie White still blasted her own squad’s spacing and rotations. Why?

White took issue with the team’s offensive execution. Judging the team’s overall performance, she said, “Yeah, I think some of our rotations defensively… we had some missed rotations. We had some poor closeouts and certainly securing defensive rebounds… we did not do a good job… Offensively, just continuing to work our spacing and our pacing… sometimes we were on top of one another.” Indiana’s 2–0 preseason start has looked impressive on paper, but the underlying numbers—and Coach White’s candid postgame assessments—tell a more nuanced story.

Despite White’s displeasure, Aliyah Boston stepped up in Clark’s absence, yet even she hit a rough patch. With 8 rebounds and 3 assists, Boston tried fulfilling her part during Clark’s absence. However, she struggled against the opponent’s swift offences and failed to translate opportunities on the court.

Hinting at Boston’s struggle against Mystics’ offences, national analyst and host of the Ringer WNBA show, Seerat Sohi, said, “I think there are definitely going to be moments like in the Mystics game, there’s obviously potentially teams like Minnesota Lynx that are very fast and maybe Aliyah Boston does struggle against.” The Mystics pushed the Fever to 102 possessions (fourth‑fastest pace in the WNBA), and Indiana managed just 42 percent shooting overall while coughing up 16 turnovers.

Boston again struggled in Game 2, while Brazil piled up assists.  Well, maybe White could consider placing Boston where she fits best, and we know that Boston wouldn’t mind. After all, she was quoted as saying, “We also know that if things aren’t going our way, we have a coach at the helm who knows how to adjust.” The Fever crushed Brazil 108-44, but even that rout featured only 37 percent ball‑movement assists (19 assists on 48 made field goals) and stretches where the post players huddled around the paint, clogging passing lanes and spacing.

Seerat Sohi’s statement, coupled with Boston’s, is a clear message for Stephanie White, who can consider shaking up the lineup for a better outcome. She can place Howard at 5 and Bonner at 4, or even keep the latter 4th with enough people behind Clark, to ensure better outcomes in the regular season matches. White’s biggest gripe centered on defensive rotations and spacing. When asked about what her team can still polish up on, she said, “Our spacing, our timing, rushing through some of the points of execution, screening, passing the ball ahead…I felt like we got a little stagnant,” she explained after the Mystics game

Though the wins are perfect on paper, the head coach is quick to point out several on-court issues, the major one being the offensive tackle. Although Boston dominated the paint and contributed assists, HC Stephanie White remained unimpressed during the game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Referring to the crowded offense as Howard, Bonner, Mitchell, and Clark served the basket, White evidently called out the need to work on the spacing issues. 

Is Caitlin Clark the team’s last resort?

Though the Indiana Fever managed a close 79–74 win against the Washington Mystics, was their performance impressive enough? If HC White is to be believed, the Fever still needs to work on several factors before the regular season commences. Meanwhile, star player Caitlin Clark sat out the match. Well, she took a break from the match to focus on her impending leg injury. But is her absence the primary reason for a close call with the Mystics?

The “Caitlin Clark effect” is impossible to ignore. In Sunday’s 108–44 blowout of Brazil at Carver‑Hawkeye Arena, Clark returned to Iowa and notched 16 points, six rebounds, and five assists in just 19 minutes. The basketball exhibition drew 14,998 spectators right in the heart of the Carver-Hawkeye Arena, back in her university home. Even veteran interior anchor Aliyah Boston admitted that Clark’s presence changes everything. Yet Boston’s matchup struggles against the Mystics’ quick frontcourt foreshadow potential lineup adjustments. Teams like the Lynx could exploit Boston’s lateral foot speed, suggesting White may need to stagger minutes or mix in Natasha Howard at the five to maintain floor balance.

With rookies like DeWanna Bonner and reserves such as Lexie Hull stepping up in spurts, White faces a puzzle: ride or bench the veteran bulk, or run a smaller, Clark‑centric unit? As preseason winds down, the Fever’s floor spacing, turnover rate, and defensive rebounding percentage will dictate whether Clark remains a “last resort” hero or the engine around which the offense truly revolves.

Besides that, her popularity at her home ground grabbed several eyeballs. The views even surpassed ESPN’s 2024 WNBA season average by a whopping 13%. With all eyes on Clark, it will be exciting to see how her performance against the Fever’s final preseason game against the Atlanta Dream can impact the team’s overall ranking.