When the Indiana Fever lost Caitlin Clark, they didn’t just lose their best player, but lost their floor leader. Yet in her absence, the Fever have managed to push forward, thanks largely to Kelsey Mitchell. Before Clark entered the league, Mitchell was already a proven scorer with close to 4000 points from 2018 to 2024. But without a backcourt partner, Mitchell has shouldered far more, not just putting up points, but running the team.

Head coach Stephanie White recently highlighted Mitchell’s expanded role on the In Case You Missed It with Khristina Williams podcast. White said, “The thing that I’ve been most impressed, in the absence of a primary ball handler, especially with Caitlin Clark, is her (Kelsey’s) playmaking ability.”

The coach further praised Mitchell, saying, “Now, she’s not just scoring the basketball; she’s finding her teammates. She’s reading how defenses are covering her. And if they send two or sometimes three to her, she’s making the right reads, making the right plays.” After the Indiana Fever’s constant turnover at the guard position, Kelsey Mitchell took over the responsibility for handling the ball. And it is safe to say that she did a fine job at it.

Mitchell finished the regular season averaging 3.4 assists per game. While that number may not seem huge, or even mark a career high, it still represents a significant jump from last season. As Caitlin Clark handled the ball in her rookie year (8.4 assists), Kelsey wasn’t asked to do much. As a result, her assists for the previous year were just 1.8 per game. So, this year, especially since CC’s injury, she nearly doubled her assists, and the numbers remain the same even in the 5 postseason games.

Fun fact, while another key player, Aliyah Boston, improved her assist numbers from 3.2 to 4 per game this season, Mitchell has pulled off an absolute stunner (2nd best if players with 22 or more games factored in). The deep playoff run by the Fever is a testament to the same.

Even though the playmaking is her biggest evolution this year, there are plenty of other aspects of the game that Stephanie White relies on her for. The Indiana Fever has also asked her to step up defensively as well. She is often tasked with defending the opponent’s best perimeter player.

Doing all this, and averaging 20.2 points per game, is a testament to why many believe that she was massively undervoted when the 2025 MVP voting results were announced. And now, with the Indiana Fever effectively having two home-court advantages, she has the chance to lead and dispatch the only four-time MVP ever seen in the league.

Can Kelsey Mitchell lead Indiana to a Game 3 win in Lexie Hull’s potential absence?

As Game 1 of the Indiana Fever-Las Vegas Aces series tipped off, very few believe Indiana has any chance of advancing. 5 of 5 from ESPN predicted the Fever would not qualify for the Finals, while 3 were humble that it would go till Game 5. Yet, in keeping with how they’ve battled all season, the Fever pulled off the upset. Winning the first game at Aces’ home floor didn’t just level the playing field; it effectively flipped home-court advantage in Indiana’s favor.

That context explains why, even after a lopsided defeat in Game 2, the Fever locker room remained upbeat. As per the analytics, they have a slight edge with a 52.5% chance of winning the game. However, the task will not be easy. A back injury suffered by Lexie Hull in game 1 has put her status for the game in doubt.

While Lexie did play in game 2 and had a decent performance (15 points), she showed signs of being in pain. And as training videos of her not running with the team came to light, these doubts increased. Although Stephanie White did say that she was kept from practicing due to precaution, there is still no clarity on whether she’ll be able to suit up tonight.

If she’s not, there will be an even increased load on Kelsey Mitchell. Not only will Indiana miss Lexie’s shooting 36.7% from the 3-point line, but they will also miss her tenacity on defense. In her absence, the responsibility, both defensive and offensive, will fall on an already stretched Kelsey. Sure, until now, Odyssey Sims has done a remarkable job in contributing, but when you miss a player like Lexie Hull, your stars need to be more aggressive.

It isn’t just Kelsey Mitchell who needs to be aggressive. 2023 number 1 pick, Aliyah Boston, also needs to have a monstrous game and replicate her tight Game 1 defense on A’ja Wilson. Will they be able to help out and give Indiana a 2-1 lead tonight? I guess we’ll know in just a few hours.