The adrenaline from the comeback win has begun to settle among Indiana Fever fans. Slowly but surely, they are wondering how the team will cope with Sophie Cunningham, in the worst case, out for the season and beyond. Cunningham had taken up the responsibility of being the leader of this team, along with Kelsey Mitchell. She saw an uptick in form in the last few games, giving the Indiana Fever flexibility to play without a point guard. Even with the adjusted position, she is averaging 11.2 points, 2.6 assists, and 2.0 rebounds in the past five games. 

Considering her importance to the team, the Fever fans were even more worried when Stephanie White had no update regarding her progress after going into the locker room in the second quarter. “Especially the way that she fell and how she was holding herself and how much pain she was in, at the time it’s like, ‘crap,’” White said after the game. According to reports, she has an MRI scheduled on Monday, when we will get a defined update on how the injury will progress. 

This was Fever’s third injury in a short period. Both of their point guards in Aari McDonald and Sydney Colson, ended their season on the spot after that Phoenix Mercury game. Caitlin Clark is still out with her right groin injury, and her return is still clouded with doubt, if she even returns. “That’s the hope. The hope is that she’s back,” White said before their Sun game. 

This response probably means her return is uncertain, even to the people behind the scenes, and if Clark is not returning, many fans have no expectations for the rest of the season. An overtime win against the struggling Sun failed to silence critics, with fans now calling for a deliberate tank job to land LSU’s electrifying Flau’jae Johnson, the most coveted prospect set to shake up the WNBA next season.

Indiana Faithful Call for Sacrifice to Snag LSU’s Sensation

The Indiana Fever don’t deserve where they are right now. Luck has been a major hurdle in their major drop-off. Just when they were beginning to thrive without Clark, with that five-match winning run, they lost another two key players in that crucial moment. Then they are on the verge of losing Cunningham. With most of them fit, this Fever side is capable of doing so much more than what they are currently showing. The fans know that, and instead of underperforming with a hamstrung team, they want to have a better pick for 2026. 

One fan wrote, “Sophie Cunningham hurt, and now the Fever making brick center for looking like fools. Going to be following college closely for who we can draft in the lottery. I’m thinking Flau’jae Johnson.” The first half was embarrassing for the Fever, to say the least. Odyssey Sims missed a wide-open lay up and then Aliyah Boston missed the follow-up. Natasha Howard finally made the shot, but the damage was already done as this play went right on troll pages to the frustration of Fever fans. Many expect the worst from the rest of the season, which has them already thinking of next year, and Johnson has been in the good graces of Fever fans for some time now, which makes her the prime target. 

Another fan joked about Johnson’s dual career as a rapper, podcaster, and basketball player, writing, “There were studios for podcast for sure. Maybe that can be arranged.” Johnson has a respectable career as a rapper. She has been an America’s Got Talent finalist and has even collaborated with Lil Wayne.

As of now, the LSU star is yet to choose between the two as a long-term career as she said regarding skipping the 2025 Draft, “There was a lot of talk about me going into the draft. I thought about it, but first of all, I’m not trying to go out on an L, second of all, you have to think about the CBA, third, I want to try to win. I know I can develop more.” But she will run out of eligibility this year, and she will likely enter the WNBA in 2026. Considering the season is for just a few months, she can even continue with her music. 

And the Fever fans want Johnson on their roster after underperforming in 2025, as another wrote, “Indiana Fever tanking for Flau’jae Johnson, I see the vision.” The WNBA is not unfamiliar with this strategy to boost future prospects. The Mercury allegedly did the same in 2012 by sitting out Diana Taurasi to increase their chances for a “Three to See” Big Three pick. They, too, had multiple key players out for most of the season. And it worked since they won the right to draft Brittney Griner in 2013, who helped them win the 2014 WNBA title. The Fever fans see a similar path with Flau‘jae as they see the 2025 title already out of reach. 

However, another fan provided a different perspective regarding this ‘tanking’ idea, writing, “Praying for rookies instead of playoffs and praying your team tanks is loser mentality.” The Fever showed the will to fight in that Sun match-up after losing Cunningham. And she might not even be seriously injured. No team with Clark on the roster is resorting to such a strategy. Her competitiveness is contagious, and every player on this roster will likely fight till the last game. If a full-throttle playoff push falls short, the Fever can shift gears and set their sights on Flau’jae Johnson or another rookie sensation in next year’s draft.