Back in January, Florida State women’s basketball delivered a statement win, defeating Miami by 88–66. But that wasn’t the spotlight of the day. It was the star who recorded the 42nd double-double of her career with 10 points and 13 rebounds. By hitting that statline, the player broke WNBA veteran Natasha Howard’s all-time double-double list. Fast forward a few months, and fate has a funny way of connecting the dots.

The same star has now entered the Fever locker room, all starry-eyed, suiting up for the same jersey as Howard. A record-setting rookie sharing the locker room with the legend she just passed? You’d expect some quiet competition. But that’s not the vibe in Indiana. And you could tell because as Timpson walked into the facility, she remembered nothing about surpassing or having surpassed anyone. The only thing on her mind? The excitement with which she didn’t forget that she was supposed to send pictures back home.

To be honest, it had not been there ever. “A lot of fun things, you know. Hopefully, I can go in there and block a lot of shots, you know. And just do the things that I did here, to perfection,” she told reporters post-draft. To Perfection!! You hear that? And it seems like to bring her to that level, the vets have already started making moves. Just five days ago, Howard shared a picture of Timpson, asking her to dunk the ball. “Gone head and dunk that 😂,” Howard wrote. Then came Mikayla’s reply, which was just as playful and good-natured: “Waiting on you 😂😬.”

After watching this fun interaction play out on their screens, fans were just biting their nails, waiting for the training camp videos. But amidst all that, we probably forgot how little time rookies get to adjust after just wrapping up their college season. That seems to be the case for Mikayla, too, who has already begun to grapple with the world of W. Yet, neither is she backing off, nor are the vets letting her. Talk about chemistry!

When asked for her first impressions on day 3 of training camp, Mikayla admitted, “it’s been pretty good…learning from the vets each and every day, they’re slowing my mind down cause it’s a lot faster and a lot more physical. understanding that they got my back, and i’m gonna be a great player here.”

Well, we know where she’s coming from. For over four years in the ACC, that edge became her signature. She anchored Florida State’s paint presence while becoming one of the league’s top defenders. But as they say, the W is a different beast altogether. So, she is patiently standing behind Howard, Aliyah Boston, Damiris Dantas, and Bri Turner, trying to soak up as much as possible and as quickly as possible.

Howard, especially, seems to have been playing an instrumental part. “Oh, it’s amazing,” Timpson said. “She gives me a lot of wisdom, a lot of knowledge. I’m just grateful to be here with her and just to learn the things that she’s done during her career so I can gain that knowledge and be successful.”

But those nerves are not going to vanish anytime soon, at least not until she makes it to the roster. While her contesting and rebounding nicely complement Caitlin Clark’s playmaking abilities, there are going to be constant shifts around Caitlin, around whom the roster will be designed. So, she will need to show that she can adapt quickly.

Under Stephanie White, Caitlin Clark and co. are aiming for something big!

Last season, the Indiana Fever struggled mightily on the defensive end. Despite having standouts Aliyah Boston and the athletic Nalyssa Smith, the team still gave up an average of 87.7 points per game. Their defensive rating of 109.5 ranked 11th out of 12 WNBA teams — a painful reminder of how porous they were on that side of the ball. Defense, or lack thereof, was a big reason the Fever found themselves near the bottom of the standings.

But that’s not a mistake they plan on repeating this year.

New head coach Stephanie White is bringing a whole different mindset. And if you’re not familiar with her track record, let’s just say defense is kind of her thing. Last season, under her leadership, the Connecticut Sun were a defensive powerhouse. They led the WNBA with a defensive rating of 96.4 and allowed the fewest points per game, just 73.6 on average. That elite effort carried them to a 28-12 record and a deep postseason run.

And this season, she aims to bring something similar to the Fever. And guess what?? She got an assistant to support her, too. Notably, Briann January, a six-time WNBA All-Defensive Team selection and a former Fever player herself, was hired as an assistant coach this offseason. January’s defensive pedigree and voice in the locker room are expected to be game-changers for this young squad.

But, above that, the Fever front office has gone all-in to give White the personnel she needs to build a lockdown unit. The team added Brianna Turner, a two-time All-Defensive First Team selection known for her rim protection and versatility. Then there’s Natasha Howard, a proven vet with two All-Defensive Team nods of her own. But the biggest addition? That’s DeWanna Bonner. She followed White from Connecticut to Indiana, and she’s not just a familiar face. She’s a defensive difference-maker. With her length and instincts, Bonner can guard multiple positions and anchor the team on both the perimeter and inside.

So, yes, defense is White’s priority, and she has made it clear ample times. And that’s exactly why Timpson was also added. But she isn’t the only one; there’s Bree Hall and Yvonne Ejim. And though all three were in different positions in college, here they have the same goal to achieve. Yes, you guessed it- defense.

“The most important thing for us was defensive versatility,” said White after the draft. “We know we have a lot of weapons on the offensive end of the floor but on those nights when we’re not making shots, we’ve got to be able to get stops. We’ve got to get better in that area.”

Timpson might have to fight it out with Hall more, however. Because her impact is always louder than statistics, and that might woo the team officials. After all, they want to build around Clark. Timpson, hence, might be a part of White’s strategy, but she still has to earn her spot. With training camp underway and three preseason games ahead, this is her window to prove she belongs.

So, the question is: can she rise to the moment?