In this topsy-turvy season that the Indiana Fever have had, no one expected Kelsey Mitchell to be the talisman of the team. With Caitlin Clark missing most of the season through injury, Kelsey has led the Indiana Fever to a position where they can still dream of making it to the playoffs and potentially upsetting contenders. While Kelsey is undoubtedly the de facto leader in Caitlin’s absence, she has had plenty of support from Aliyah Boston. 

Speaking of Aliyah Boston’s impact on the Indiana Fever this season, Stephanie White said, “She’s been great. She really has been our rock, she’s been our backbone.” But her coach isn’t the only one who is recognizing her leadership and ability to keep the team together in these tumultuous times for the team. Recently, popular sports journalist and former Undisputed host, Skip Bayless, has also joined in to shower praise on Aliyah Boston. 

In his recent episode of the Skip Bayless Show, the sportscaster praised Boston while comparing her to one of the greatest power forwards of all time, Tim Duncan. Speaking of her, Skip Bayless said, “I love watching Aliyah Boston post up all of her. She’s the big fundamental. She’s sort of the Tim Duncan of the WNBA.” While Skip Bayless is famous for his lofty hot takes, this time around, there is plenty of evidence to support his opinion. 

Just like Tim Duncan, Aliyah Boston has great fundamentals and a high basketball IQ. Like Duncan, Aliyah is an expert at using her height and understanding of the game to beat her opponents. With both players mainly operating around the paint area, having a good grasp of basketball basics and an exceptional vision to either score or pass to a teammate. While all these are just observational points, Tim Duncan has actually played a huge role in improving Aliyah Boston’s game. 

During her time in College, Aliyah Boston spent five days working out with Tim Duncan. Throughout this period, he helped her develop her post moves, hook shots, and bank shots. These learnings have been pivotal in making her one of the best centers in the WNBA. Another factor that is similar to both Aliyah Boston and Tim Dunan is how they continue to dominate despite not being the most athletically gifted athletes. 

With all these similarities and some valuable pointers on her game from the Spurs legend, Boston is one of the invaluable contributors on this Indiana Fever team. The team has had a lot of ups and downs throughout the season. However, thanks to Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston’s career-best and record-breaking years, they are still in the fight and may yet end their season on a positive note. 

Aliyah Boston and Her Record-Breaking 2025 WNBA Season

When Caitlin Clark got injured against the Connecticut Sun, it seemed like curtains for the Indiana Fever’s 2025 season. However, led by Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston, Indiana has managed to stay in the playoff contention. While this year has been all about Kelsey Mitchell and her MVP-worthy performances, Aliyah Boston has been an able support for Boston, quietly having the best year of her career.

This season, she has been averaging 15.2 points and 3.6 assists per game, both her career highs. Yes, it might be a case of getting more touches of the ball due to CC’s absence. But the interesting thing is that her efficiency has remained more or less the same. In fact, her field goal percentage has only risen from last season. In her career-high year, she has also broken some records. 

With her 15 double-doubles till now, she has already surpassed Caitlin Clark’s record of most double-doubles in a season. She also became the third youngest player to reach 1500 points in WNBA history. With nine games still to go, there are certainly going to be a few more brilliant performances coming from Aliyah Boston. After the Indiana Fever also lost Sophie Cunningham for the rest of the season, Boston will have to step up her game even more if the injury-hit Fever is to make a deep playoff run.