There are times when the draft pick number doesn’t do justice to the talent in the WNBA, and upon closer look, Bree Hall seems to be such a case. She was selected in the second round of the 2025 WNBA Draft. She had shown flashes of a guard with great talent but failed to find a spot on Stephanie White’s roster. Just over a month later, the Fever’s playoff exit and Hall’s performance in Puerto Rico have caught the attention of fans promoting a backlash against the Fever’s head coach.

The Fever player, who traveled to Puerto Rico for her offseason stint, impressed in her second game, helping the Cangrejeras of Santurce hold off Gigantes of Carolina in the quarterfinal of the Women’s Superior National Basketball league.

In just her second game with the team, Hall led her team on both ends with 26 points and 10 rebounds as her team survived being swept in the series, cutting the lead to 2-1. For fans, the numbers were hard to miss, and they targeted White when a post highlighted that the Fever head coach didn’t use her to her potential throughout the season.

“She did the same with Justine Pissott too… she had so much potential,” one fan pointed to White’s decision about the 2026 draft pick.

Like Hall, Pissott was also selected in the second round that year, who was never used by White. Indiana signed her to a player development contract before she signed with the Las Vegas Aces after the Fever couldn’t match the offer. White later said that she could not make a roster spot for Pissott since it would mean waiving a player. 

Pissott never suited up in the Fever uniform, but in her debut game for the Aces, she scored 19 points in just 10 minutes against the Mercury. She made five of her six attempts from beyond the 3-point line.

“And they tell us White is a great coach, but just look at how these players carry on overseas. Even if you don’t use her and others the full season, give them some time to grow,” one fan suggested. 

Hall signed with the Fever after spending some time with the Golden State Valkyries in her rookie season. This season, she appeared in just five games and averaged 3.2 points and 1.2 rebounds in just 5.4 minutes. Hall shot 50% from the field and 50% from deep.

The potential in Hall and Pissott could already be seen, and White’s inability to find playing time for them and develop them was the part that bothered fans.

“SW got to go. It was a crime not to play Bree, Pissott & Michelle Onyiah. We don’t know if they would have thrived. It was a crime not to find out. All 3 have skill sets that Fever need & needed,” one fan added.

The Fever were simply bad defensively, and while her team struggled, Hall sat on the bench having a college resume that proved she could play lockdown defense on multiple positions. White could have used her two-way perimeter defense.

“Bree Hall [is] an elite defender on the perimeter, does a lot of things, really, really well,” former GM Amber Cox said earlier this season. “She guarded the best player on the other team [in college]. But you know, when she had the opportunity to take three-pointers, she was very efficient in that role as well.”

“She done this to so many players last season it was disgusting! I never watch Pissot play, and she’s a baller as well!”

White has faced a lot of criticism for her coaching, especially that season. From what many perceived as a casual approach to the Game 1 loss in the first round of the 2026 playoffs when she said that the team needed to be humbled, to the Fever’s exit in the same round, there has been a growing sentiment on social media that she is not fit to handle the Fever’s coaching.

Indiana was already dealing with the lineup issue in the 2026 season, but White’s decision to experiment with a new lineup in the Game 1 loss also resulted in fans and analysts like Rachel DeMita targeting her coaching decisions. 

“Hall and Oniyah would have fixed the biggs issue. The season that could have been,” one fan wrote. 

The Fever were already facing a harsh reality from the start of the season. They played a historically strong offensive game throughout the season, but the defense that they needed to sustain through the playoffs was never there. The Aces exposed them.

Was it Stephanie White’s fault? She has to shoulder some responsibility. She had the whole season to fix the defensive issue and develop players to take care of the non-offensive side. However, the front office’s failure to put together a balanced team should also not be overlooked.

Maybe when Hall returns next season, White might change her approach.