The Indiana Fever’s big three – Caitlin Clark, Kelsey Mitchell, and Aliyah Boston – led the team to a record of 28-16 in the regular season, but one name has been left out of the conversation. The star trio came up short in Game 1 of the playoffs, as the Aces thrashed the Fever 102-85. However, for ESPN broadcaster Ryan Ruocco, the Fever’s answer for a turnaround in this series lies in front of their eyes: Lexie Hull.
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For Ruocco, Hull can be the X-factor in Game 2 as the Fever host the Aces in Gainbridge Fieldhouse. When asked by Allie Clifton about the one player who could swing this Fever-Aces series, Ruocco answered without missing a beat per a clip from the ‘Road Trippin Show’ on X.
“I’m going to say Lexie Hull. She has had a rough season. She has not at all looked like the player she was the last two years. She played really well against Vegas in the playoffs last year, and she played really well in the playoffs in their entirety last year. Indiana needs somebody else to hit shots. They are going to have to get one of their role players hitting shots, and the Ty Harris injury is a crusher for them,” said Ruocco.
“She’s going to have to play well. And I think if she does, it changes the dynamics significantly for Indiana because they have not gotten much out of their three spot for most of the season. So that’s a player I look at and say, if she can play well, if she can look like she did in the playoffs last year against Vegas, she can hit some shots, she can swing a series.”
Ruocco may not be far off in his assessment. Teams have targeted Caitlin Clark and forced her into isolation all season. And the Aces did it perfectly on Sunday. While Clark managed to be the Fever’s top scorer with 15 points, her efficiency was nowhere close to her regular-season FG average of 44.6%. Instead, she could only convert just six of her 17 shots from the field, and only three of her 10 shots from beyond the arc.
Clark’s backcourt partner in running Indiana’s offense, Kelsey Mitchell, also had a forgettable night. Mitchell could only convert four of her 16 shots from the field, and just one of six from the three-point line.
So the inefficiencies displayed by Indiana’s top two offensive players make the case for Lexie Hull even stronger. Though Hull could only manage five points in Game 1, she has the potential to contribute far more. And Lexie Hull has already shown that she is capable of pulling her own weight in the high-pressure knockout games.
During the 2025 playoffs, Hull started in all eight games she played in the playoffs. Her output was also considerably higher than her regular-season average, as she registered an impressive 10.3 points, five rebounds, and two assists per game, as the Fever made it to the semifinals and eventually lost to the would-be champions Aces in a five-game series. She shot a decent 34.1% from the field, even logging a 29.5% success from three.
More than her stats, Hull’s impact is often captured in the little moments in the game, when she is on point, making a defensive play that no one else reads on the floor, or stretching the opponents’ defense to enable shooters like Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell.
Head coach Stephanie White is no stranger to Lexie Hull’s impact on the team, as she said back in May after the Fever defeated the Portland Fire in a 90-73 home game.
“She’s one of the toughest players I’ve ever been around,” White said. “She’s tough. She plays her b*** off. She makes the right plays on the defensive end of the floor. She relishes doing those things that energize our team…Everybody has their role, and Lexie’s the energizer bunny for us. Those plays give us energy.
And the numbers also point out that Lexie Hull’s impact is far more nuanced than one would think.
As per the data from ‘Help the Helper,’ Indiana’s defense sees an increase of 7.7 points per 100 possessions when Lexie Hull is on the court, as compared to when she is on the bench. Hull’s presence is significant, as the Fever are 17.5 points better per 100 possessions when she is on the court.
With Clark and Mitchell’s scoring dip in Game 1, it’s high time that Hull delivers in the next game for the Fever.
Fans will also hope that Clark and Co. can showcase the offense that they have shown all season to level the series, boasting a league-high offensive rating of 115. The Fever are chasing their first title since 2012 and, for Ruocco, Lexie Hull may be the only piece left to activate for a legitimate title charge.