For the last few years, Aliyah Boston has redefined consistency for the Indiana Fever. As the team’s centerpiece, she helps the team strike a fine balance between physicality and flamboyance week after week. But that consistency took a major hit on Sunday, May 17, when Boston, unfortunately, broke an 8-year streak due to a lower right leg injury, prompting Caitlin Clark and Stephanie White to react.

Notably, the Fever’s clash against the Seattle Storm game was the first time in 8 years that Boston missed a game. The record dates back even before Boston’s exploits in South Carolina. In her Gamecocks career, Boston played 138 consecutive games. And following her move to the WNBA, she again made 137 consecutive appearances (including playoffs).

Quite naturally, this also marked the first time that Clark suiting up for the Fever without Boston. She spoke of it before the Storm game in a press conference. “Aliyah provides a lot for this team,” she said. “But at the same time we have great pieces. We have people that can step into that position, and everybody’s gonna have to give a little bit more.”

Aliyah Boston has been plagued by injuries ever since the offseason. She sustained an injury to her lower leg while playing at the Unrivaled. This forced her to miss the FIBA Basketball World Cup qualifiers in Puerto Rico. Coming into the season, she played just 10 minutes across the Indiana Fever’s preseason stretch.

The team has been immensely cautious with her in that regard. Boston even began the regular season with minute restrictions. The first couple of games against Dallas and LA went pretty well. But in the Washington Mystics game, Boston’s old nemesis came back to scar her yet again. The Indiana Fever center suffered another lower leg injury in the third quarter.

It forced her to miss the remainder of that game and subsequently the game against the Seattle Storm as well. Before the home game on Sunday, head coach White stated that Boston is in a day-to-day status. However, further information regarding the seriousness or the nature of the injury hasn’t been released by White or the Fever camp. ESPN, however, reports that Boston might have sustained a meniscus injury.

“Yesterday, we talked about it a little bit,” White said. “It’s day to day. So, today she’s out, and we’ll evaluate again tomorrow. … We said this since the first day of training camp. We’re going to be managing her and managing her ramp-up, managing her on the day-to-day.

“Again, it’s still early, and so there’s no reason to really push anything. And we want to make sure that we are utilizing an abundance of caution,” the Fever head coach added further.

Boston’s importance to the Indiana Fever is undeniable. In a guard-heavy Fever roster, she is the player that the team depends on to give them some substance in the front court. But she isn’t just a player who dominates the paint or brings physicality.

Instead, she also has a great scoring burst that immensely helps their frontline scorers like Kelsey Mitchell and Clark. In her limited minutes with the Fever so far, Boston is averaging 12 points and 5 rebounds per game.

Thus, facing a young Seattle Storm team, including Flau’jae Johnson and Natisha Hiedeman, was always going to be a major challenge for the Indiana Fever. But as reality set in, the team has fared pretty well, with the Indiana Fever making substantial use of the roster to replace Boston and clinch a win against the Seattle Storm at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Caitlin Clark Outlines the Team’s Frontcourt Performance Without Aliyah Boston

With Boston’s absence from the Seattle Storm game, the Indiana Fever started Monique Billings and Myisha Hines-Allen to give them a substantial frontcourt presence. Stephanie White also gave Makayla Timpson substantial minutes (18) off the bench.

The trio did pretty well. Billings and Hines-Allen combined to give the Fever an advantage on boards. They fared quite well while defending the loose ball on their end of the court, accumulating 8 defensive rebounds. Timspon, on the other hand, had 6 points and a rebound each and a steal as the Indiana Fever won 78-89.

Caitlin Clark, who was the star of the show in the game with 21 points and 10 assists, shed light on the trio’s performance while speaking at the post-game press conference.

“I mean, I thought they were great, and you know, those are big shoes to fill,” she said. “So, you kind of got to fill it by committee. Aliyah does so much for us. She conducts the offense, she conducts the defense. She’s a heady player, and she rebounds the balls really well. I thought they all did really great.”

On the surface level, this win is a silver lining for the Indiana Fever’s roster depth going deep into the season. But even then, the team would want to get back Aliyah Boston on the court as soon as possible. After all, there are very few players who can bring the all-around skill sets that she does.

Stephanie White has cited that Boston is in a day-to-day status. It suggests the Fever Center’s latest injury might not be quite as daunting, so we might see her in the next few games. But without an official confirmation, uncertainty still looms high around her return. The Indiana Fever host the Portland Fire up next at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on May 20.