“Her ability to fill up stadiums is amazing,” noted Dr. Ryan Brewer, commenting on Caitlin Clark’s massive fandom. Dr Brewer also noted that almost 60% of the WNBA’s growth can be attributed to Clark alone. This was evident from the fact that the Indiana Fever averaged bigger home attendance compared to their NBA cousins, the Indiana Pacers, who reached the NBA Finals. But the moment she went down injured this season, the Fever’s coffers also took a massive hit. Before CC’s season-ending injury, the average ticket price was $92, which plummeted by 30% to $62 after her injury was announced. Caitlin Clark wasn’t just a commercial loss; her absence also threatened to derail Indiana’s fever on the court as well. That’s when one of her teammates, Kelsey Mitchell, stepped up big time to steer the Indiana ship.

“We’ve leaned on [Kelsey Mitchell] heavily, and she has continued to step up and be exactly what we need… She’s embraced the situation, she’s led by example, and she’s been able to carry the load for us,” admitted HC Stephanie White. Yes, Indy has Aliyah Boston, Aari McDonald, Lexie Hull, and others, but none had the kind of impact Mitchell had. And, the Indiana Fever is aware of her importance

Kelsey Mitchell is the second-highest-paid player in the WNBA, just behind Ace’s guard Jackie Young, with an annual salary of $249,244, according to Sportrac. And she’s been a bang for the huge bucks she’s been paid by Indiana. She is an ever-present in the starting 5 and rarely gets injured. And now the Fever has decided to amend her contract to add a time-off bonus. It’s commonly done to encourage players to limit their offseason play by spending up to $50K that counts against the cap.

For context, she played in almost every game the last three seasons and was unstoppable when Indy needed her the most. Let’s just rewind to Indiana Fever’s game against the Connecticut Sun. The Fever looked dead and buried by the third quarter, and a loss seemed inevitable. Down by 21 in the third quarter, there was next to no hope. Then, worse happened. The Fevers lost Sophie Cunningham to a season-ending injury. But then, like has been the case throughout the season, it was “next woman standing up.”

Limited to just four points in the first half, Kelsey Mitchell stepped up her game and looked unstoppable as she had 24points in the second half. She forced overtime and then outscored the opponents by 10 points. Her night ended with 38 impressive points that carried Indy to a six-point OT win, securing the largest comeback in Indy’s history and the second-highest scoring performance by any WNBA player, second only to Paige Bueckers’ 44 points. Still, being the ultimate team player, she gave the credit to Indy’s locker room.

“Our group is so resilient from a standpoint of we’ve been through things on every level, internally, externally, and behind closed doors… We like to think that if things don’t go our way, we have to compete and play like somebody has to take it from us,” she shared. So, while White mentioned Aliyah Boston was the “most affected” by injuries, Mitchell was no different.

Injuries to starting and backup point guards forced her at times to take over the role of point guard and scoring guard. And she did, despite not playing point guard since her time at Ohio State. But last month, against the Chicago Sky, she did and had a team-high of 26 points along with eight assists. So yes, she’s the real deal.

So when Caitlin Clark was ruled out of the season through injury, she put the Indiana Fever on her back and powered them through to the playoffs.

How did Kelsey Mitchell carry Indy to the playoffs in Caitlin Clark’s absence?

“I am who I am,” Kelsey Mitchell says clearly. But while assists are nice, her major strength is scoring. For context, she’s the fourth all-time leading scorer across the W, averaging a career-high 20.2 points per game. “I’ve always been a downhill scorer, a downhill driver. I do my best to create plays and be aggressive,” she added. Aggressive, yes, she is, but it ain’t easy. Opponents do whatever they can—forcing outside shots, double teams, or just sending three defenders to strip the ball. Still, Mitchell finds a way to score.

When Caitlin Clark got sidelined, it was a major challenge for Indy. Not just because she was its offensive core, but because of her impact across the league. Of the 24 WNBA-related broadcasts that drew at least 1 million viewers last year, 21 involved CC. All three WNBA games that drew over 20K fans included her.

And absolutely none could replicate that for Indy since her absence. But at that crucial time, Mitchell happened. “All we got, all we need,” she shared, the slogan used by the Philadelphia Eagles back in 2017. And spot on, it became the rallying cry throughout the year.

While Kelsey was not able to put herself in Caitlin Clark’s shoes, she ensured her fans were served. For her, the best way to do it was by performing as an elite scorer and defender. And that kept her driving Indy until a playoff berth was clinched with three consecutive wins in the season finale. Now the question is, can she power them through to a championship?