The game was between the Aces and the Mercury, but somehow, the Indiana Fever front office found themselves staring at the barrel of the gun. On her WNBA debut, Justine Pissott was a sniper. She had 19 points, 2 rebounds, and an assist in just 10 minutes of action. Hitting five 3-pointers, she also set a record for most made 3s in a WNBA debut. Since the Indiana Fever avoided signing this talent when the Aces came calling, criticism was bound to arrive. 

“The Indiana Fever had Justine Pissott sitting every single game in street clothes with all that talent?” New York Times’ Landon Thomas wrote. “Justine Pissott isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Finders keepers for the Aces,” Darrel Harris pitched in. 

Remember, it was the Fever who drafted the Vanderbilt star in the second round of the 2026 draft. The team chose to sign her directly to a development contract in training camp. However, the interest drained when the Aces made a permanent roster spot open for Justine Pissott after waiving Chennedy Carter.  

The Fever had a chance to match the minimum contract while waiving another player from the bottom of the rotation like Grace Van Slooten or Damiris Dantas. But Stephanie White refused to part with both.

 “First and foremost, they’re great culture players, great culture teammates; they’re going to be ready when their number is called,” White said.

“Grace is a young player who I think can really develop into a solid four in this league, DD is a veteran who understands how to stay ready so she doesn’t have to get ready, who we can play in certain lineups and certain matchups, who is going to give us great minutes in practice as well, and who is going to help continue to elevate and build and pour into our culture.”

But that didn’t pacify many. 

“The Fever had a 6’4 sniper with a 7-foot wingspan and an ultra-quick release… On a MINIMUM for the next 4 years… And said, “Nah, we’d rather have 34-year-old, completely useless Dantas for ‘culture reasons’,” Mick Talk Hoops wrote. 

Pissott started at Tennessee, helping the Lady Vols to a 25-12 record and a Sweet 16 run, before transferring to Vanderbilt for her final three seasons, where she shot 42.2% from three as a senior and helped the Commodores to a 29-5 finish. That shooting touch is exactly what showed up in Vegas colors on Saturday and why no one who watched her in college was surprised.