The Indiana Fever have stared injuries, lineup shakeups, and relentless pressure in the eye and refused to fold. Despite Sophie Cunningham being indefinitely ruled out, the team found its way into the playoff conversations, defying every prediction of collapse. With Kelsey Mitchell’s formidable presence and Stephanie White’s unshakeable command, a beacon of hope, the Fever continues threatening their opponents on the hardwood.

In a season marred with setbacks, the Fever has converted every injury into an opportunity. This hunger to win stems from a depleting roster whose backcourt depth severely lacks a point guard presence. While recent hardship signee Odyssey Sims solidified her prominence with 19 points against the Connecticut Sun, the move was due to White’s decision. No wonder analysts commend HC White for leading the resilient locker room.

On the latest episode of the Yahoo! Sports podcast, co-hosts Caroline Fenton and Cassandra Negley argued that White should be awarded the 2025 COY title. “I am screaming at the top of my lungs for Stephanie White to be coach of the year,” Caroline Fenton said. “All of the stuff that the Fever have gone through, the injuries, and I’ll throw DeWanna Bonner in there. We still don’t know exactly what went on behind closed doors with DeWanna Bonner and the Fever organization.”

Reminiscing about the Fever’s not-so-smooth run this season, Fenton remarked on the episode surrounding DeWanna Bonner. She highlighted the friction between the franchise and DeWanna Bonner that resulted in the athlete requesting for a trade deal before officially moving to the Phoenix Mercury.

While nobody knows what exactly went down between the two parties, what we do know is that the veteran missed five straight games owing to personal reasons. And the next thing we learn is that she indicated a trade deal and ultimately reunited with Alyssa Thomas. “That was a very strange exit and they were still able to overcome that when they brought DeWanna Bonner in for a very specific reason. And to have her veteran leadership on that team that’s lacking veteran leadership,” Fenton added.

Ironically, head coach Stephanie White and the veteran were in the Connecticut Sun last year, before progressing to the Indiana Fever. With no apparent malice between the two, the locker room moved on from the incident, as they welcomed Aari McDonald instead. While Bonner’s veteran presence did leave a hole, the gap was almost immediately filled by Aari McDonald. Besides the whole chapter with Bonner, the team has massively struggled with injuries this season.

“One of the best, if not the best players in the sport, Caitlin Clark has been out for over half the season. They’ve been riddled with injuries and they’re still like, we are still talking about the Fever potentially getting into the playoffs,” Fenton remarked. “I have been so impressed with how Stephanie White has been able to keep this team together.” As one of the best athletes in the W, Clark failed to contribute to the roster during her sophomore season, which has been rife with injuries. While Clark suffered a quad sprain followed by groin injuries and now a bone bruise, HC White has handled the situation in a very professional manner so far.

Keeping the players’ integrity in mind, the coach has ensured each player, whether it is Caitlin Clark or Sophie Cunningham, Sydney Colson or Aari McDonald, receives the right kind of medical attention and assistance. This shows her dedication towards Indiana Fever and the locker room. Moreover, White also immediately signed replacement contracts, ensuring that the Indiana Fever roster stays healthy and ready to clinch the WNBA championship title this season.

Indiana Fever suffers another injury scare ft. Caitlin Clark

Tested time and again this season, the Indiana Fever strive to stay afloat ahead of the playoffs. And the locker room suffered a solid blow after Sydney Colson and Aari McDonald succumbed to season-ending injuries. But they were not the only athletes to suffer the fate against the Phoenix Mercury.

According to Fever insider, Scott Agness, it was Caitlin Clark to initially face an injury. On August 07, Clark twisted her left ankle during a workout session in Phoenix, thereby leading to a mild bone bruise. The incident occurred before the team stepped on the hardwood. A bone bruise leads to swelling and stiffness in the region and requires at least four to six weeks of complete rest.

Already tending to a right groin injury, the recent update only pushed back any bleak hopes of Clark’s return to the hardwood. With fans calling out the franchise for keeping Clark away from the hardwood, especially in the absence of Sophie Cunningham, can the Indiana Fever re-integrate a healthy and strong Clark before the season ends?