Essentials Inside The Story
- Lexie Hull clarifies rumors about Indiana's head coach.
- However, questions surrounding Indiana’s championship expectations are not going away.
- The team needs to aim for silverware this year.
For a brief stretch, concern swept through the Indiana Fever fanbase. A lopsided 100-84 loss to the Portland Fire dropped Indiana to 4-4 on the season, and a heated sideline moment between head coach Stephanie White and Caitlin Clark only intensified the scrutiny. Then came a startling claim from Skip Bayless, who asserted that White was out as coach and that Clark preferred Jan Jensen, her former Iowa coach, as a replacement.
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But as the dust has settled, that narrative has begun to fall apart. Comments from Fever guard Lexie Hull have since offered a different picture, shedding light on the team’s relationship with White and challenging the speculation around the coach’s future.
“We have a great relationship,” Hull said in an interview with Yahoo Sports. “I think all of us know this is a long season, and it’s hard to win in the WNBA. Ultimately, it’s early, and we fully believe in each other. We fully believe in our coaching staff. It’s just about continuing to show up and put in the work.
“A handful of our games were decided by less than five points of winning or losing, so we’re not hanging our hats on what our record says. We know we can play better. We know we can win more games.”
Three of their four losses were decided on the final possession. They lost the Wings game by just three points. Against the Mystics, a game-tying three from Clark took them to overtime, where they faltered by two points yet again. In that Valkyries game, it was Aliyah Boston who missed the game-tying shot. They have not managed to capitalize on the key moments, leading to a 0.500 record.
Their underlying numbers look a lot better than what their win percentage suggests. They are the highest-scoring team with 91.8 points per game, with a defense within the top-10 in the league. Their +/- of 0.6 is better than the Toronto Tempo and the Portland Fire, who are 0.556 and 0.600, respectively. These numbers suggest that the team can find a way to get results and capitalize on late-game scenarios.
Hull further said: “We’re building chemistry now. We’re going through trials and tribulations together—not just as a team, but with our coaching staff and our organization. We know by the end of the season, we’ll be exactly where we want to be.”
The Aces started the season last year with a 0.500 record and still won a championship. In 2021, the Chicago Sky had a 2-7 record in the first 9 games and went on to win the title as well. So, this early-season form can change at any time for the Fever.
As for White’s position with the team, there was little truth to her exit rumors. Multiple journalists across the WNBA, including Chloe Peterson, Alexa Philippou, and Tony East, refuted the rumors and reinforced that White remains the coach in Indiana. Even Lexie Hull has revealed that the squad has complete faith in the staff despite the poor start.
All that said, questions surrounding Indiana’s championship expectations are not going away.
Caitlin Clark and Fever face championship heat with the rookie contract window closing
The Indiana Fever went in with a clear idea this offseason. They wanted to retain most of their 2025 squad while adding pieces where required. However, the front office could not bring in a proper big to play with Aliyah Boston. Regardless, this team is already filled with talent. After raising the bar with a semifinal appearance last year, this team has no option but to compete for the title this year.
“The Indiana Fever have no excuse to be bad this season. They have three First Team All-WNBA players on their team,” Rachel DeMita said on the ‘Courtside Club’ on Monday. “They should be contenders, they should be top five this season.”
Last year, they were struggling with injuries. That meant there weren’t many expectations from the fans. This year, it’s different. The Fever have Clark in her third year, Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston in their primes, and Lexie Hull and Sophie Cunningham as proven pieces around them. But this team has complicated financial math as well.
Clark will be getting her well-deserved pay raise with the EPIC extension next year. That means the Fever will have another player on a million-plus contract. Mitchell is on a one-year super max, while Cunningham has also signed a one-year extension. Retaining either of them would be difficult with Clark and Boston occupying much of the payroll. This is the year this group has to try for possible silverware.
