Fever HC Say Goodbye to Troubling Caitlin Clark Reality in 23-Second WNBA Wake Up Call

One of the most dominant narratives of the 2025 WNBA season has been about the expanded rosters, especially that of the Indiana Fever. Even without Caitlin Clark, the Fever finally drove the final nail into their spot in the playoffs with a blowout 94-65 win over the Washington Mystics on Monday. As the team celebrated its qualification with a post on X, the franchise had to accommodate the 17 players that have donned the Fever jersey on a single graphic, and it clearly showed how much the Fever had to expanded its roster this season. And after they confirmed their playoff spot, their head coach has now issued a rallying cry for the team.

Every time the Indiana Fever had a crop of players get comfortable with each other, one of them went down. Five season-ending injuries meant Stephanie White had to be tactically flexible, and that started with looking for creativity beyond Clark. The point guard broke the record for most assists in 2024 and was on her way in 2025, too. And every point guard who has replaced her was formidable in their own right, but no one was going to match Clark. Like Lexie Hull had put it, “Everyone’s got to do a little bit extra, be a little bit more aggressive offensively.” Now they are finally past the first hurdle; a place in the postseason is theirs. But Stephanie White is not relieved yet.

White told the media after the Mystics win, “When you can grow, and grow through these types of experiences, it lays a foundation for a championship culture and a championship mindset. And ultimately, that’s our ultimate goal. But to be able to take it one day at a time, to be able to put ourselves in a position to be in the playoffs. And then now the mindset of finishing the regular season and then making noise in the playoffs.”

The Fever were always pretty loud when it came to their aspirations going into 2025. Instead of slow-playing their rebuild, they overhauled the entire organization this offseason to try and build a contender. Veterans like Sophie Cunningham and DeWanna Bonner were signed, front office was changed with Kelly Krauskopf and Amber Cox being the newcomers. However, their vision never really took off because of the repetitive injuries. On the flip side, their young core has already handled the worst, and their base has been strengthened.

“I think just being in this locker room, we never doubt ourselves on what we’re capable of, no matter what happens,” Aliyah Boston said on Sunday. Before this season, one would have thought Boston would be almost toothless without Clark’s passes and two-woman game. However, she has shown herself to be a commanding force even without her, and credit goes to their team culture. The squad has bought into the mantra Kelsey Mitchell introduced, ‘We all we got, we all we need.’

That teamwork and the will to make the best of the cards they have have culminated in a playoff berth for Indiana. They have the worst championship odds (+20000, per Caesars) of any team currently in a playoff position, so no one really expects them to do much, including their own fans. It will be an uphill task with either the Las Vegas Aces or the Atlanta Dream on the horizon. But White and Co. are rearing to pull off some upsets against stronger teams and have already shown they can beat the odds with ‘the power of friendship’. It’s not only the squad buying into the culture, as the management is impressed with their 2025 performance.

Fever GM Gives Caitlin Clark And Co. a Resounding Stamp of Approval

For the first time in almost a decade, the Indiana Fever were dealt with expectations. The front office did everything they could to fast-track this team to success. However, the team was met with something not many could have survived. They did the impossible, and their GM, Amber Cox’s words just added icing on the cake for the squad.

“In 15 seasons in this league, I have never seen anything like this group. Every single member of this team, coaching staff, and support staff is special – believing in one another thru an insane amount of adversity. I’m so damn proud of them.” Cox wrote. Let’s not forget Cox’s part in the success, too. Cox moved from the Dallas Wings last October to replace Lin Dunn, who moved into a new position as a senior adviser for the team. In her first season with the team, Cox showed why she was hired.

Each time they lost a player, the management signed one who fit into the team like a glove. Aari McDonald, Odyssey Sims, and Shey Peddy all have played a huge part in Fever’s qualification. Apart from the signings, Cox was dealt with a tough situation with DeWanna Bonner. She expressed discontent after just 9 games, and she oversaw a smooth exit for the veteran. Well, as smooth as it could have been.

The culture that the Fever prides itself upon starts at the very top. Even if the Fever fall short now, they’ve laid a rock-solid foundation built to chase championships. Meanwhile, they would still have to look at the reasons behind their injury crisis after the season ends.