The Indiana Fever turned up against their arch rivals in the Chicago Sky, and everything seemed… fine? It was more than fine as Sophie Cunningham and Kelsey Mitchell did overtime shifts at point guard, and they marched to a 92-70 victory. Even with that win, a point guard-less squad is definitely not sustainable, and they qualified for a hardship exception after the injuries. 

The Fever picked former Los Angeles Sparks point guard Odyssey Sims to take Caitlin Clark’s point guard position until she arrives. Sims had impressed during her short stay in LA earlier in the season, averaging 9.8 points per game and 3.5 assists per game in 11 games started. Now she is on a different team with different tactics, and the veteran point guard is taking it slow after arriving in Indiana. 

Sims said after practice, “Uh..try not they’re trying not to overload me with too many plays. I’ve just learned today just the basic ones that they’ve been running, and we have just played where they put all their plays. So I’ll be reviewing a lot today.”

Stephanie White and Co. are moving towards a system with a fast pace. They want to be on the other end of the court within a flash, and for that, they need an exceptional passer. Clark is more than elite in that aspect, but her backup needs to serve the purpose as well. While Sims might not have matched Aari McDonald’s numbers with just 3.5 assists per game as compared to 4.7, she has the capability to do so. 

In any case, White is now looking to spread the creative responsibility across the roster.“We’ll have to do it by committee, certainly,” she recently said. Sims has struggled to find a consistent home in her 11-year WNBA career, but she can run the offense and find some scoring touch. Even a veteran like Sims will need some time to gel in this roster, but the Fever are not hoping for instant magic.

Sims continued, “But it’s no pressure. Um, of course, like brain farts, expected. I might call a play, it might be the wrong cuz I’m thinking of a different play. It’s happened to me before. So, I’m just going in with no pressure. Like I said, just going to play help them from the point guard position and just be me out there.”

The Indiana Fever has accepted its situation, and veterans like Kelsey Mitchell and Sophie Cunningham are ready to step into the point guard role. Mitchell is taking the extra responsibility, and even an undercooked Sims is enough to provide her with backup. She is not expected to step into the starting lineup immediately. And they have a relatively easy run-up of games coming up. 

The Indiana Fever face a lighter upcoming stretch, with the struggling Dallas Wings and Chicago Sky up next, followed by manageable matchups against the Washington Mystics and Connecticut Sun. Still, even against faltering opposition, the Fever’s engine isn’t running at full speed without their superstar point guard, Caitlin Clark. And if they want to improve from last season, they will need her back. 

Fever Proving Their Mettle, But Clark Key for Title Run

The Indiana Fever craved for consistency after the first half of the season. “Now it’s just about being consistent and doing that more times than not,” Fever wing Sophie Cunningham said after their biggest win of the season in the Commissioner’s Cup final against the Minnesota Lynx. And they finally found it, without Clark in the lineup. White’s squad went on a 5 game winning run, which is their biggest in a decade. Even after a couple of losses and setbacks, they did not let that weigh them down, and they bounced back with a win against Sky. 

Even with Caitlin Clark out, things seemed rosy as they are 10-9 without her on the team. However, that double injury hit might cost them dearly. Now they are with just one proper point guard in Odyssey Sims on the roster. Like we discussed, she is still new to the team and aligning with their ideas. While Mitchell and Cunningham can shoulder some load, Clark is that X-factor that will be essential in beating the best teams in the league. 

Even through her injuries, Clark has averaged 16.5 points, 8.8 assists, and 5.0 rebounds this season. That makes her the best creative outlet on the squad and across the league. Her downtown troubles seemed to persist the last time she played, but she repeatedly mentioned that she felt good and it was “just a matter of time” before it comes back. And it has been so much time since those games, those ghosts might not even haunt her anymore. 

“She demands so much gravity on the defensive end of the floor,” White mentioned on NBAToday. “She’s constantly seeing multiple players, and she makes the right reads and the right plays for our group. So she’s going to continue to allow us to stretch the floor.”

Clark will take this team to another level and keep that WNBA title they want in sight. The team has done well to be in a position to get to the playoffs without her, but they need her to go for the kill in the postseason. Clark almost always turns up in the big games, and even with her injury troubles, they will bank on her to turn up again when or if she comes back. However, as of now, her date of return remains in the shadow.