The semi-freshly-formed Indiana Fever started their 2025 run on a high note, being one of the teams in the title contention debates across the board, thanks to their offseason moves. Then experimentation in the first two weeks gave HC Stephanie White what she needed to see. But in all the different lineups, strategies, and planning, they had one constant– Their offensive power Caitlin Clark. Until she wasn’t, although temporarily. The point guard came down with a left quad strain after their 90-88 home loss against the New York Liberty and the Fever will be forced to go on a trial-and-error route for the next 2 weeks minimum. However, the point guard found purpose in the setback alongside White.

Sitting on the sidelines, Caitlin Clark will be, “Hearing us talk about it on the sideline from a coach’s perspective,” as White put it. And the reigning league ROTY certainly did that. On the bench, sitting between the associate coaches, Clark observed her team take on the Washington Mystics as she jotted down points on a paper she kept close. She even leveled up the experience by being vocal both to the team and to the referees, literally asking them to re-evaluate their decision for Kelsey Mitchell’s foul in the second quarter. But on the court? She saw them give up one game after another. And here is how the numbers changed in the last two losses with (against the Atlanta Dream and Liberty) and without (against the Washington Mystics and the Connecticut Sun) Clark:

Although the differences might not be as gaping as expected, in the broader scheme of things, they became the sore point for the Indiana Fever. However, while Clark’s offense and play making might not be available at the moment, the team can build on another aspect of the game because: Defense wins the game. And that’s exactly what analyst Ros Gold-Onwude believes.

On the latest episode of the Good Follow podcast, “I think overall, it’s gonna be a continued work in progress on the Fever’s defense. They’ve got to continue to get serious about it and especially if, perhaps you lose some offensive power, then you’ve got to get even better on defense. And that’s been the talking point since training camp from Stephanie White.“

Last season with the Connecticut Sun, White had the goal to make them one of the top defensive teams in the league. Indeed, she achieved that by making them the leaders for the same. However, in 2024, Indiana Fever was ranked 11th of the 12 teams in the WNBA for their defense. So, when White returned to Indiana, her focus was not just to add to the offense, but help bolster a practically absent defense. Addition of veterans like DeWanna Bonner, Sydney Colson, Sophie Cunningham, and Natasha Howard did, at least to some extent, help the team on the other side of the court. However, there’s much work to do.

In her four games this season, Clark’s leading average score of 19 in the team, no doubt, increases their offense. Along with that, Kelsey Mitchell’s speed, ability to disrupt the defense, and downhill driving that helps her average 17 points per game are certainly a pillar that the Fever can rely on. Aliyah Boston’s 16.8 points average are also a welcoming sight. But with Indiana already losing two games against the Mystics and the Sun that were theirs to win, the urgency gets real. And that’s when defense stands up. But apart from a good defensive player at home in Lexie Hull, most are new faces for the Fever, needing time to get that chemistry in as Ross too mentioned, “I think a lot of this too comes from they need time to mesh and gel like this is normal there were a lot of new faces.”

Unfortunately, the team delivered one of its worst performances against the Washington Mystics on Thursday. The young Mystics team, led by Brittney Sykes with 21 points and 9 rebounds and rookie Kiki Iriafen adding 16 points, dared the Fever to shoot. In the paint, they snatched every shooting opportunity from Boston, who could only attempt 5 shots in 29 minutes for a score of 10 points, a heartbreaking contrast when compared to her 19-shot explosion against the Liberty. Of course, the latter was a result of the South Carolina product’s unbelievable pick-and-roll action that come with Caitlin Clark’s help, who is already leading the league with 9.2 assists.

However, in all the chaos, we all saw one name rise, as did Ros, who said, “One face that I’ve kind of got my attention on that’s new to this team is DeWanna Bonner.” The veteran, who landed with Fever from Connecticut, added 21 points off the bench against the Mystics and 13 points off the bench against the Sun.

With a limited time on the team’s watch as they already lost their first showdown against Mystics, it is crucial for each player in the roster to gel and communicate as their star player watches them from the court side. But despite all the black clouds, Bonner climbed higher in the record books.

DeWanna Bonner makes it to the all-time scoring list

“I kind of got a little bit emotional,” Bonner admitted post-game. “To be at this moment, in front of a sold out crowd, in front of all this attention, and to have that moment is just pretty special to me.” The Indiana Fever season opener was special for the team for so many reasons this year. But one reason stood out for the team’s new member. As a veteran who has served the league since 2009, her first year in the Fever’s roster became special as she clinched a total of 7,480 points throughout her career, surpassing Tina Thompson.

Moreover, head coach Stephanie White was all praise for the forward and said, “We tell her all the time, ‘You deserve the limelight, right? You deserve the recognition. But what she’s been able to do and accomplish in this league, the way she’s been able to go about doing it, to make herself available every year, nearly every game, that’s hard to do… She’s a Hall of Famer.” As someone who successfully averaged 15 points per game last season to surpass Indiana legend Tamika Catchings to stand fourth on the all-time scorer’s list, Bonner has yet to prove her worth this season.

At least that is what national reporter Ros Gold-Onwude feels. She compared Bonner’s flashes this year with that of her domineering performances of the past and suggested that Indiana Fever HC should think about an appropriate way to utilize this powerhouse of talent. “This is somebody who averaged 15 points per game last season she’s now averaging two and a half all right on 12% shooting 12 and a half percent shooting,” she pointed at the stats.

“More what I’m seeing is just discomfort and even being able to figure out where and when she can get shots up or fit into the offense. And so I’m looking at Stephanie White to kind of help identify what DeWanna Bonner’s role is going to be with this team,” the reporter further added. As someone who has the capability of creating enough offenses and uplifting the team in Caitlin’s absence, will Stephanie White bring Bonner to the forefront and define the athlete with a role more suited to her interest or will she play behind the likes of Boston and Howard off the bench? Only time will tell.