Indiana’s back-to-back losses to the Atlanta Dream have brought the Fever’s discipline issues back under the microscope. The latest debate centers on a blunt assessment from analyst Rosalina Lee about one of Caitlin Clark’s teammates, comments that gained traction after another pair of games in which Indiana’s foul troubles once again proved costly.

“(Monique) Billings is a foul monster. I don’t exactly trust her with the ball,” Lee said. “I feel like she loses it a lot… It’s like she needs to put Ticky Tacky on her hands because she gets picked often. It just rolls out of her hands. When you’re getting paid as much as (Monique) Billings,… something needs to happen. (Monique) Billings to me feels like an off-the-bench role player, and they have her as a starter.”

Now, this criticism might sound harsh, but the numbers do give the assessment some weight.

Billings is currently averaging 2.5 fouls per game, which doesn’t immediately look alarming. But when broken down by minutes and game impact, it becomes clear that those fouls are starting to hurt Indiana. Take both games against Atlanta, for example; she logged just 13 minutes in each of them and still averaged four fouls per game, while scoring only 6.5 points. For a starter, that kind of foul rate becomes a problem fast – especially on a roster that is already dealing with discipline issues.

In Saturday’s loss to the Dream, Indiana’s starters combined for 19 fouls, with Billings and Aliyah Boston accounting for 10 of them alone. That outing was less an outlier and more a reflection of a season-long trend. The Fever are averaging 23.7 fouls per game, the highest mark in the WNBA and nearly two fouls above the league average.

The Fever average 23.7 fouls per game this season – the most in the league – despite being one of the more productive offensive teams with 92.2 points per game. And the issue extends well beyond Indiana’s frontcourt. Even their star player, Caitlin Clark, has recorded 54 fouls so far, while leading the league in technical fouls with four.

In every one of their losses, opponents have attempted at least 20 free throws. Against a high-powered offense like Indiana’s, those are essentially free points that can quickly create separation on the scoreboard.

Clark’s foul numbers show a broader issue. Her technical fouls have often stemmed from visible frustration with officiating, while Indiana’s up-tempo style and 15.2 turnovers per game regularly force players into recovery situations that result in reach-ins, transition fouls, and unnecessary contact.

“Obviously, there’s been an emphasis to call a lot of fouls,” head coach Stephanie White said after their recent loss. “Freedom of movement’s been an emphasis. We’ve seen foul calls go up altogether. Individually, certainly there are some things that we can do…”

See, officiating has been a major talking point this season. After all, the players and coaches complained about the level of physicality in the WNBA last year. So, with the league placing greater emphasis on freedom of movement, foul trouble has surged from 32.4 per game in 2025 to 41.8 in the opening stretch of 2026.

The emphasis has particularly affected teams that play at a faster pace, and Indiana is among the league leaders in possessions per game. More transition opportunities create more chances for defenders to commit reach-in fouls, take fouls and blocking fouls while scrambling back after turnovers.

But Indiana seems to be absorbing that shift more than most teams.

However, it would be unfair to say that Caitlin Clark & Co. have just been struggling because in their winning streak that was ended by Atlanta, they did show signs of a team that could work together and control their troubles.

Yet for now, they remain on a roller coaster ride. Turnovers remain another huge issue at 15.2 per game, and when paired with constant fouls, it’s disrupting any rhythm they try to build. The combination has created a recurring pattern: opponents get to the free-throw line, Indiana loses its transition advantage and key players spend extended stretches on the bench managing foul trouble. As a result, a team that entered the season viewed as a rising contender looks uneven on both ends of the floor.

But while there’s still time to fix it, the window doesn’t stay open for long in this league.

The Fever now turn their attention to their next matchup on June 22 against the Phoenix Mercury, where they’ll try to clean things up before the problems start defining their season.