When Caitlin Clark was announced out for two weeks due to a strained left quadriceps, it was one of the worst possible news for the Indiana Fever. And it proved to be just that. From a 71% drop in ticket sales to offensive and defensive lapses on the court, Clark’s absence exposed a gap too wide. However, even in the midst, Stephanie White managed to find a silver lining. This one, for Clark herself and, by extension, for the team. One game in, we have a review on how that has panned out.

When the 23-year-old Iowa native was spotted in Baltimore, few could have predicted why she was brought in. “You know, we’ve asked her to just be around the coaches throughout the course of practice and in-game so that she can hear our perspective,” White explained. “She can get a little bit more of a coaching hat, so to speak, and see the game a little bit more from how we see it.” For her, Clark’s injury offered the superstar a chance to observe the game from a different perspective. But is it really working for Clark? To an extent, yes.

Once the game tipped off, it was Clark who stepped into a quasi-assistant coach role in what was her first missed game since high school. And, during halftime of the Fever’s 83–77 loss to the Mystics, the reigning ROTY wasn’t just passively observing—she was actively involved. She argued calls with officials and even initiated a video replay review. And this wasn’t a one-off incident.

Clark was spotted multiple times walking onto the court after the Mystics grabbed a 44–40 lead at halftime. She was the first to jump into the huddle and even made repeated attempts to plead her case to referees. Looks like White’s strategy is playing off. Lexie Hull put it best.

“I think—I mean, I’m seeing her grow in ways I didn’t expect. I think her being able to watch the game from a different lens and be able to sit by the coaches and hear what they have to say, I think she is learning a lot. She is in the locker room, being very vocal about that. Because you do hear things and you see things differently when you’re not in game mode. So I think it will be good for her game,” the Stanford-former admitted. 

But while Clark is progressing even from the sidelines, another player is stepping up to shoulder the load in her absence, Aliyah Boston.

The 2023 No. 1 overall pick has been putting in extra hours after practice with assistant coaches Keith Porter and Austin Kelly to sharpen her game. Indiana Fever beat reporter, Scott Agness, even shared a clip as Boston waded off defense and practiced layups. And honestly, that’s a need. Especially after the 2nd consecutive loss that felt like a gut punch. At the center of that disappointment was Boston, who was held down to just 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting.

No doubt, it’s an efficient stat line—but it also tells a deeper story. Boston attempted just five shots in 29 minutes, a sharp contrast to her 19-shot explosion against the Liberty. Why? Because the young Mystics team packed the paint and dared the rest of the Fever to shoot. As a result, Indiana shot just 39.7% from the field. So, Boston’s extra reps after practice might be her way of preparing for a statement performance. Still, she wasn’t the only one who struggled against Washington.

How Indiana Fever failed without Clark?

If you look at Aliyah Boston’s numbers, it’s clear she was dominant and served as the focal point of the Indiana Fever’s offense. Just consider her performance against New York, where she dropped 27 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. But in the most recent game, nothing seemed to click.

“I also know what we have in the locker room, though. We’re not living up to—individually and as a team—where we’re supposed to be right now. And we’ve got to turn that page. I know we keep talking about that in the locker room, but sometimes enough is enough, right? And she’s a h— of a player, AB, for us. Sometimes we just got to find her. They played really good defense on her,” Sophie Cunningham explained.

Of course, AB needed to be found on the court, but the Mystics managed to reduce her usage rate significantly. That disrupted Indiana’s rhythm, already shaken by Caitlin Clark’s absence. The Fever were narrowly out-rebounded, 34–33, and struggled to maintain any consistent offensive flow. Their ball movement was stagnant, with only 15 assists on 25 made field goals.

Even their transition game was nonexistent as they recorded NO fast-break points. And, to make matters worse, they committed 26 fouls. So clearly, the team as a whole suffered a loss against the Mystics’ strategic execution of gameplay. Now the question is: Can Boston carry this team to a win against the Connecticut Sun?