Caitlin Clark’s Teammate Likely to Adjust for the New Fever Reality Amid WNBA’s ‘Extreme Hardship’, Says Insider

“AB has been the one that’s been most affected by all of our injuries,” Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White admitted after a recent stretch of roster shuffling. This line captures the quiet storm brewing in Indiana. While hardship contracts have kept the Fever competitive during Caitlin Clark’s absence, they’ve also placed an outsized burden on her closest on-court partner, Aliyah Boston. Once the seamless pick-and-roll duo at the heart of Indiana’s resurgence, Boston has been forced to recalibrate her game with an ever-changing cast of guards.

White knows this reality well. “Last year, when I was in Connecticut, we had multiple times where we had to have hardship contracts,” she said. Now in Indiana, she has watched Boston adjust from running sets with Clark to adapting alongside Aari McDonald, Odyssey Sims, Sydney Colson, and Kelsey Mitchell, often in the same month. The toll has been visible, but so has Boston’s resilience.

On the latest episode of Locked On Women’s Basketball podcast, analyst Tony East echoed White’s concern. “They need to get Aliyah Boston involved, especially in their current reality with new point guards galore, with in-n-out players,” East asserted. “Aliyah Boston is a good enough finisher and has added so much patience and timing and rhythm and screen setting ability to her game the last two years in the Fever’s kind of competitive window that she draws defensive attention.”

And yet, Boston continues to deliver. She erupted for 27 points and 9 rebounds against Seattle Storm to lead Indiana Fever to a commanding 95–75 victory, with Sims (22 points, 6 assists) and Mitchell (21 points) providing key support. And just two nights later, Boston followed with 19 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 assists against the Los Angeles Sparks.

Besides, Boston is averaging 15.6 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 3.6 assists this season, thereby cementing herself as one of the WNBA’s most efficient frontcourt anchors despite the turbulence around her. Opponents consistently collapse the paint to stop her touches from reaching the rim. While these tricks are a testament to her rising profile and dominating allure, it is the Fever’s guard carousel that has made her job twice as difficult lately.

Having said that, East added to the blunt reality. “But that whole shifting of the guard impacts Aliyah more than anyone,” East highlighted. “That’s what Stephanie White’s point has been. That’s what Aliyah talked about. And I would agree with that before they even said that.” After Chloe Bibby and Odyssey Sims, the locker room welcomed Shey Peddy and now Aerial Powers. So, adjusting her pace, rhythm, and movement accordingly is never an easy feat. Despite adjusting to point guard presence, her performances against Seattle and Los Angeles remind fans that Boston is excelling through the games.

This locker room adversity has highlighted her adaptability, growth, and a quiet dominance as the team’s pillar. While watching her teammates battle injuries is never easy, the forward player has adjusted herself in accordance with the hardship deals through which the team is surviving.

Aliyah Boston steals the spotlight against the LA Sparks

After a remarkable showdown against the Seattle Storm, where she added a total of 27 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 assists, Aliyah Boston continued her spectacular run against the Los Angeles Sparks on Friday. The forward athlete seems to have finally gained momentum as she rallied strongly against the opponents.

Boston added 22 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 assists against the Sparks. But what really caught the attention was Boston’s last-minute steal attempt. The team had gained a lead after Odyssey Sims attempted a floater with just 13.6 seconds left. But tensions sparked when the ball went to Kelsey Plum.

Before she could attempt a shot within the closing minutes, Boston pounced and grabbed the ball from under Plum with just 1.09 seconds left. While it became her sixth steal of the evening, the Fever forward successfully ended the Sparks’ chances of a win and was instrumental to the Fever’s 76-75 win.

Besides, Boston became the second Indiana Fever player to record at least 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 steals in a single game. Her recent gameplay underscored the player’s high-speed defensive instincts, mental toughness, and clutch execution, thereby cementing her as one of Fever’s indispensable talents.