Kelsey Mitchell is closing in on WNBA history, and as the Indiana Fever shift their focus from the FIBA World Cup to the postseason, she’s doing it under the brightest lights of her career. The Fever star knows how hard the next step will be, but she’s not backing down from the moment, to say the least.
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“I’m happy. I’m happy our group stays down this season. Um, it’s not easy. We playing against some really great teams, really great players individually. Um, I just think now it’s like, you know, it’s a gut check. And I think that you just got to be mindful about what you can do. Um, and give it to God.” Mitchell said when asked what excites her about getting to this point of the season, during a media availability after practice.
Without World Cup duties, Mitchell has focused entirely on her club season, posting career-best numbers: 25.0 points per game on over 50% shooting from the field. She’s 20 points shy of A’ja Wilson’s 1,021-point single-season record, though Wilson, also in the midst of an MVP-caliber year, is chasing the same mark herself, sitting around 960-plus points with four games left, making this a live, head-to-head race rather than Mitchell simply closing in on a fixed number from the past. Mitchell remains on pace to break the record decisively, having scored at least 20 points in most games this season.
While the Fever have qualified for the playoffs, their exact seeding has not been cemented yet. That’s why Mitchell will likely have to play at her very best level over the final stretch. In other words, the “do-or-die” run isn’t about clinching a postseason spot, since Indiana has already done that, but about locking down the best possible seed. And the team doesn’t have the easiest four-game schedule to get there.
The Fever face Toronto (Sept. 18), Washington (Sept. 20), and Minnesota twice (Sept. 22 and 24) to close the regular season. They should be favored against the Tempo, but none of the finish is easy.
While any wins will boost the Fever’s chances of getting a higher seed, things will be troubling should they finish in the bottom three. This is because the Fever will then have to face either the Minnesota Lynx, the Golden State Valkyries, or the Las Vegas Aces first, all highly formidable challenges.
The Fever are currently fifth in the standings, tied with the Atlanta Dream and separated only by a tiebreaker. The 2024 WNBA champion New York Liberty sit two games back but are far from out of it, as Breanna Stewart and co. have to play games against the Lynx and the Tempo, followed by two games against Angel Reese and the Atlanta Dream.
But Kelsey Mitchell remains unfazed by the challenges. When asked how she gets back to rhythm after the break, her answer was reassuring.
“I gave it to God a long time ago. All I could do is keep showing up and hope that I get the right rep every time. Um, I kind of just leave it at that.”
Regardless, Mitchell’s MVP-caliber season, paired with Caitlin Clark’s, has positioned the Indiana Fever as one of the favorites to win their first championship since 2012. For Mitchell, the “gut check” mentality that has carried her this far is exactly what the stretch run calls for.