No Cap Space WBB Team Previews: Indiana Fever

Caitlin Clark lived up to the billing in her rookie year even if the Fever were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. With a retooled roster, can Indiana contend for a title in year 2?

May 13, 2025

The Indiana Fever became the center of the sports world last summer — for better and worse — when they drafted Caitlin Clark. There were ups and downs but by the end of the year it was clear that the former Iowa superstar was already in the upper echelon of WNBA guards as just a rookie. They didn’t make it out of the first round of the playoffs after a chippy and controversial series against the Connecticut Sun. After the media circus around Indiana and the league subsided in the offseason, new GM Amber Cox got to work retooling the roster.

The team let go Christie Sides and hired Sun head coach Stephanie White while elevating longtime executive Lin Dunn to become a senior advisor. Indiana also made a change at the top of the food chain, bringing Pacers assistant GM Kelly Kraskopf back into the WNBA fold to serve as the President of Basketball and Business Operations. The goal is clear in Indiana and they’ve let the world know: the championship window is officially open and they’re going to do everything possible to get one (or more).

2024 Lookback:

20-20 (3-2 Commissioner’s Cup)

Lost in playoffs first round to Connecticut, 2-0.

Head Coach Christie Sides fired

Lin Dunn named Senior Advisor

Amber Cox hired as C.O.O and General Manager

Stephanie White hired as head coach

2024 Leaders:

Caitlin Clark: 19.2 PPG, 8.4 APG, 5.7 RPG

Kelsey Mitchell: 19.2 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 1.8 APG

Aliyah Boston: 14.0 PPG, 8.9 RPG, 3.2 APG

Who Left:

NaLyssa Smith (Dallas Wings via trade)

Temi Fagbenle (Golden State Valkyries via Expansion Draft)

Grace Berger (Minnesota Lynx via waivers)

Katie Lou Samuelson (Seattle Storm via waivers)

Erica Wheeler (Seattle Storm via free agency)

Kristy Wallace (Suspended contract — Retained rights)

Who’s Back:

Caitlin Clark

Aliyah Boston

Kelsey Mitchell

Damiris Dantas

Lexie Hull

Draft Picks:

Makayla Timpson (Round 2, Pick 19)

Who’s New:

Sophie Cunningham (Phoenix Mercury via trade)

Jaelyn Brown (Dallas Wings via trade)

DeWanna Bonner (Connecticut Sun via free agency)

Natasha Howard (Dallas Wings via free agency)

Sydney Colson (Las Vegas Aces via free agency)

2025 Strengths:

The most important thing for the Fever to do after the learning experience that was Caitlin Clark’s debut year was to retain their core. Clark and Aliyah Boston were both on rookie contracts so the Fever exercised their team option on AB. Kelsey Mitchell accepted the core designation and re-signed with the team. After that was done, rebuilding the roster came next. To that end, Amber Cox and Stephanie White pulled off a series of stunners. DeWanna Bonner may be 37 years old but fits in a variety of roles as a leader and player. She hasn’t really lost a step in her play and brings over vital expertise in White’s system, having played with her last year in Connecticut. They dealt NaLyssa Smith to Dallas and signed Natasha Howard while bringing in Sydney Colson from Las Vegas. Those three have won a combined seven WNBA titles, all with different organizations. Bonner won in Phoenix, Howard in Seattle and Colson in Vegas.

That kind of varied expertise can’t be understated when the expectation is for Clark and co. to follow up a 20-20 rookie season with a deep playoff run in 2025. As far as the actual roster construction, the Fever expertly addressed a clear position of need from last season. Bonner is a versatile wing that can defend pretty much any position on the floor. Howard is an additional presence at the forward spot who can affect the game on both ends. Colson is a great locker room presence who can also spell Clark for a handful of minutes a game as a backup point guard.

Drafting Makayla Timpson may turn out to be a masterstroke. The Florida State alum is a long and energetic 6’2 forward that will be a boost off the bench. Lexie Hull is back along with Sophie Cunningham, who can be a defensive pest on one end of the floor and hit shots on the other. If the goal was to build depth, address the wing need and put seasoned vets with championship pedigrees around Clark, the Fever managed to do it.

2025 Weaknesses:

With that, comes a concern of how long it takes to gel. As generationally great as Clark is, this is a lot of turnover in one season. You’re talking an entirely new coaching staff, two new starters and a whole bench. It’ll make for some good talk show fodder if they stumble a bit out of the gate but it would be totally normal if it were to happen. Luckily, they have a few plus matchups at the start of the year that can help buoy their record. But seeing how they stack up against the Liberty, for instance, who are now in year three with their superstar core and fresh off a championship, will be a good early data point into their ceiling.

Additionally, I’m a little curious about the depth behind Clark. Colson is a solid role player and likely won’t be asked to play substantial minutes game-to-game. But while Clark got a full offseason to rest, there’s no Olympic break to catch your breath before the stretch run. Can you run her out for 37 minutes per game from May through September and feel okay about that? It’s a worthwhile question. I didn’t put much stock into any of the early rotations I saw during the preseason so I will hold my judgement until we get a decent regular season sample size. Additionally, the depth behind Aliyah Boston is a slight question mark. Damiris Dantas is back this year but was used as more of a floor spacer who could shoot the three in 2024. While I doubt AB is going to be as traditionally back-to-basket this year, they both have different play styles. Howard could theoretically slot in, if need be, but when you stack up the best of the best in the W, it might be a bit of a matchup challenge.

2025 Outlook:

I don’t want to fall into the trope of hyperbole or hot take but I think the Fever did as well as a franchise could do this past offseason. They have two superstars on the roster in Clark and Boston and another star-potentially-superstar in Kelsey Mitchell. To add Bonner, who is one of the most reliable and consistent performers in the league even at an older age, was a coup for a team that faced a lot of Twitter-driven questions about how many players actually wanted to be a part of the CC show. Natasha Howard has played a lot of great basketball and is back in her home state and could be poised for a good second act. My only concern with her within this system is that since she left Seattle, she’s wanted to assert herself as the top option on each team she’s been on. Is she going to be okay with the idea that she isn’t the first, second, or even third best player on this team? She settled into that role with the Storm, who won in 2020 with a loaded roster of Breanna Stewart, Sue Bird and Jewell Loyd. So it’s entirely possible.

There are some bench concerns and a question of how deep they are in the frontcourt. But overall this team has a floor, on paper, of a semifinal contender. Clark is a force multiplier on the offensive end and has put on substantial muscle in the offseason. There’s a really damn good argument for her being the best guard in the league already. The only real knock on her would be developmental components like her defense and ball security as well as the fact that she’s still got to get some playoff wins under her belt. They’re nitpicks relative to her positive output but, as I’ve said with A’ja Wilson and the Aces, these are the conversations reserved for GOATs. You’re going to (at least in my opinion) going to be graded on a different set of standards. But if the floor is what she did last season, then we’re already talking about a perennial All-WNBA first teamer who would eventually be a first ballot Hall-of-Famer. The fact that there is another level to her game to achieve is a feat in itself.

Ultimately, the Fever understood the assignment. They saw what they had last year and, while there’s a case to be made that they should’ve understood that earlier, they did everything possible to maximize the opportunities for success this season. Does it mean a WNBA title? Who knows. That’s why we watch the games and enjoy the product. But they will be fun to watch and Clark, as always, will continue to be appointment viewing.