Last year’s momentum that Caitlin Clark brought to Indiana was visible this season. But the point guard has already missed fourth-straight game since the groin injury. In fact, she has played only half the games this season with previously straining her left quad. HC Stephanie White first brought in Aari McDonald on a hardship contract. When DeWanna Bonner left the Fever, she became a permanent substitute. However, Clark is out again. And June’s stats across 9 games prove that the Fever’s offense suffers without the reigning league ROTY. 

Although they’ve improved since then, the offense needed balance again. Consequently, White brought in Chloe Bibby. Previously, she has had two separate stints with the league’s latest franchise, the Golden State Valkyries. Then, she won the 2025 FIBA Women’s Asia Cup with the Australia Opals. Now, she acknowledged how her Indiana stint is “really exciting, really grateful for this opportunity here with the Fever.” However, she had proven her worth and fascinated the fans all in just 11 minutes of her Fever debut.

In the much-anticipated Fever-Sky matchup yesterday, both Caitlin Clark for the Fever and Angel Reese (back) for Chicago were sidelined. However, Indiana’s latest addition in Bibby had immense effect on their offense. In just 11 minutes of game play, she scored 8 points with 2-of-4 shots from the deep, 5 attempts from the field total, 2 rebounds, and a block as tweeted by one fan on their X account.

Her excitement to steal the show was on full display in against the Chicago Sky. In fact, it turned out to be a night to remember. The Caitlin Clark-less Fever cruised to a 93-78 victory over the Angel Reese-less Sky. Fans were certainly quite pleased with the performances of the Australian forward, and social media was filled with praise for her.

Fans react to Caitlin Clark’s replacement having a great debut against the Chicago Sky

Now, granted that Bibby isn’t a replacement for Caitlin Clark, who is out with a groin injury. But she was more specifically brought in to give the Fever more scoring options. And that was visible against the Chicago Sky as the fans too noticed.

“Hell yeah 😎,” one fan commented while another joined in to say, “Impressive!” Bibby went on to score 8 points on 2-5 shooting from the field, which also saw her hit 2 three-pointers. She was pretty active on the defensive end as well, getting 2 rebounds and 1 block. But perhaps the most impressive thing is the fact that she achieved all of this in just 11 minutes.

Naturally, another fan stepped in to say, “She definitely had an impact. Great job Chloe.” Talking about impact, she ended the game with a +2 to show for it. Now that might not seem much at first glance, but context is important. Starters Natasha Howard, Sophie Cunningham, and Aari McDonald finished the game with -10, -7, and -6, respectively despite the dominating win.

And the HC was pleased. “I mean, her ability to stretch the floor, to be a shot maker, to create some space on the interior for [Aliyah Boston]. Her size, certainly as well, are all things that we liked.” 

“We need her longer than 7 days! #HailState,” said another fan. History has shown time and again that it doesn’t matter if you join on a hardship contract. If you show up and deliver, you’ll earn your place on the roster. The Fever is a prime example of that after signing Aari McDonald. However, Fever no longer has the cap space. And when Clark returns, the 13th player will have to leave Indy despite her contributions unless the team waives someone.

Well, the fans had their say on this as well. “Time to weave Bri Turner and Put Chole for full time Indiana Fever,” one fan declared, while another joined in, “Iv seen enough. Bye bye Dantas lol.” Both Turner and Dantas are averaging a combined 5 points and 3.4 rebounds. However, while the two are usually only seeing the floor for height matching, the two are incredible on the offense. Moreover, Dantas is a great pick-and-shoot from the arc for Indiana to just let her go.

Still, in the offensive end, Bibby put up 6.4 points and 2.8 boards per game with the Valkyries. And going beyond the stats, even Bibby feels her fit with the Fever is just right.

“Obviously, a really physical team – tough, fast paced, and I like that style so that suits me a lot. Fast paced, shoots the three ball, and that’s exactly what I do so hopefully I can find my strides here,” Bibby said about the Indiana Fever. And you’d be right to ask whether adding a new player at this point in the season is a smart decision or not. Well, Stephanie White didn’t comment directly on the ‘rest-of-season’ aspect. However, she did hint at the “nuances“.

“Yeah, it’s a challenge always, any time you’re integrating. But I think at the position that she’ll play for us, really being somebody that’s middle of the floor, stretching the floor, there’s not a lot of nuance to how we’ll use her,” White said. This might very well be a sign of things to come in the future.

So, what are your thoughts on Chloe Bibby and her performance against the Sky? She certainly shifted many to her side with her first outing as a Fever.