Ever since Stephanie White landed in Indiana, she has always liked that the rather young group was always ready to have real conversations. After two losses early in the season, including a 16-point defeat to the expansion team Portland Fire, it was obvious she had to call a meeting. The same lasted at least two hours, where White brought everyone on the same page. But here’s the thing: we were never supposed to know these details.

Sophie Cunningham, hoping to give Indy fans some hope that their losing streak would not continue, revealed some specifics on her podcast. But while the team’s PR is already under fire, this confession, as analyst Jason Whitlock believes, was not in the team’s best interest. And he thinks the Fever management is the one to be blamed.

“Sophie Cunningham starts talking about how they had a private meeting to settle things among the team,” Whitlock said on his latest stream. “Then Sophie Cunningham comes out and talks about all of it because it’s good content for her. It helps build her brand, and she wants to be the outspoken personality. It works for her. But it’s not what’s best for the team.

“It’s because the leadership in Indiana is horrendously poor. From the top, Linn Dunn, all the way down to Stephanie White.”

Now, taking a meeting is nothing big. It is literally the usual process to strategize moving forward and ensure everyone is in the same mindset. But wanting to keep it private meant that panic had started to set in. Even Kelsey Mitchell was surprised that the media knew about their meeting.

When she arrived for her interview later, she laughed it off and did not particularly object. White, meanwhile, had a straightforward answer:

“I’d like to keep our internal stuff internal.” 

The storyline in the backdrop only makes it more concerning.

The Fever is already struggling with poor PR. The courtside exchange from the Fire game did not make the locker room atmosphere look particularly great. The Fever is also facing another uproar over their leadership after they banned one of their longtime reporters, Scott Agness.

The entire WNBA media, including the PBWA and even the fans, are protesting this action from the team. The front office was already criticized for their offseason moves, or the lack thereof, for building an undersized roster.

It feels like everything is falling around the team, and coming back from this would be difficult. However, Aliyah Boston remains confident, as she thought the team meeting had a positive effect ahead of the Commissioners’ Cup. 

“Be Honest”: Aliyah Boston Opens Up on Fever’s Crucial Locker Room Reset

Regardless of whether fans and the media were meant to learn about the team meeting or not, the fact is that there are some red flags in the locker room. Two consecutive losses, including one expansion team, have a major part in that. The Fever’s 4-4 record does not match the expectations and the bar set for them.

With Clark, Mitchell, Aliyah Boston, Sophie Cunningham, and Lexie Hull, this group should be poised for a title run.  For Aliyah Boston, it’s about using this moment to turn things around and reset their chemistry. 

“I feel like the best teams have those moments where you get punched in the mouth, and the only way to get back up is to be honest,” Boston told the media. “I feel like we did that. It was great communication from everyone, and I feel like we’re all on the same page. It was pretty good.”

While the Fever are not necessarily down in the dumps. They are the highest-scoring team in the league, with 3 out of their 4 losses decided on final possessions.

The team just needs to figure out the locker room. Sophie Cunningham’s reveal may or may not be deliberate, but the cat’s out of the bag. Like their other mistakes in the Fire game, the team just needs to move on and return to their style that the fans love.