Heading into the 2024 season, the Indiana Fever had high expectations after drafting Caitlin Clark at No. 1 overall. While the season started off disappointing, Indiana ended up overachieving at the end. Indiana set various attendance and viewership records thanks to Clark, who had one of the best rookie seasons in league history. She excelled at bringing a winning culture to the Fever.
To begin the season, Indiana started on a five-game losing streak and won just one game in May, going 1-8. It was a concerning start for the team. Still, it is taken into consideration the quick turnaround after the WNBA draft and putting together a team that has never entirely played together before. Then, after struggling to get in the win column, the Fever found a rhythm and ended the season 20-20.
Many questioned head coach Christie Sides regarding her rotation and the game plays that she drafted in late-game situations. Different players were losing starting spots without clear reasoning and would see themselves back in the lineup just a game later. No player's minutes on the court were certain and unpredictable. Towards the halfway mark of the season, Sides figured it out during her first season for Indiana, and she continued to focus on defense. Sides wanted Indiana’s players to guard the basket better, considering it was the most significant issue faced by the team. With Clark on the roster, Sides was under much pressure for her first season, but she showed patience and worked well.
May (1-8)
The start of the season was not easy for Indiana. In sum, they struggled only winning one game in the first nine games. There were standout performances from Clark but she struggled greatly with keeping control of the ball. In her WNBA debut game she had 10 turnovers and recorded a total of 51 in the first month.
The first month was where the team learned more about one another on the court and had to learn the hard way of each other's play style and how it can mesh together. Except it did have breakout performances from NaLyssa Smith who averaged 10.7 points per game and had two double-doubles. The lone victory came against the Los Angeles Sparks on May 24 where Clark and Kelsey Mitchell led the team in a confidence boosting win. However it was argued that during the first month of the regular season that the Fever had the toughest schedule taking on opponents like the New York Liberty and the Las Vegas Aces which made it an extremely difficult start to the season.
Indiana began the season with seven games in 12 days and at the end of that stretch the entire team looked gassed. They were performing in front of sellout crowds on the road and facing the top teams in the league. While they ended up losing almost every game, they did keep it a close game. In the last three losses in the month they lost by a total of 25 points with single-digit deficits in two of the games and a blowout loss against the Aces. Aliyah Boston also started the season on a hot streak and continued her standout play from the 2023 season as she was the focal point of the Fever front court.
Overall a big factor to why Indiana was not successful in the the start of the season was the lack of veteran depth. With all the pressure on the team not many realized that this was a young team core who were put together just a few weeks before the season began. It was understandable how they struggled against experienced teams but it ultimately made them better for the long run of the season.
June (7-4)
It was a mixed month in June for Indiana as they showed some resilience and improvement. They played 11 games with lots of highlights and a few very close losses. Indiana had solid wins over the Atlanta Dream and Washington Mystics as Boston thrived where she dropped 27 points and 13 rebounds in the win against Atlanta. As well the Fever had a three game winning streak at one point in the month where they were seeing a light at the end of the tunnel.
Sides was known for her press conference moment in June where she said she wants Clark to try to average 15 shots a game and at the time Clark had at least 15 attempts from the field just six times. But she had one of her first standout performances in her professional career against Washington on June 7 where she dropped 30 points in the win. As well she was playing smarter on the ball and reduced the number of turnovers per game.
The dynamic duo of Boston and Clark was in official full swing this month as they became a newfound core in the squad. They began making major strides with one another running the pick and roll constantly and Clark always finding Boston in the paint. As well Boston was using her laser vision to find Clark on the move and open to turn her passes into easy buckets for Indiana. Constantly throughout the month Boston was putting up double-doubles showing her ability to score and crash the boards nonstop.
It is also worth noting the step up in Mitchell as she played a key veteran-like role as she was consistently putting up 20+ point games and coming in clutch when needed. One of the biggest challenges that Indiana faced was their slow start to the second half of games. They would start off strong in the first half and close them out with emphasis and power but each game was a slow start to the second half. Indiana would be slower on the ball and allow easy buckets on the other end which would allow the other team to go on scoring runs and regain the lead or making what was a comfortable lead, scary for Indiana.
July (3-3)
July was historic for Clark as she became the first ever WNBA rookie to record a triple-double as she posted 19 points, 13 assists and 12 rebounds in an all-around spectacular performance against the Liberty on July 6. In that same game she also became the assist leader of all players in the WNBA. The Fever began making a big leap in the Eastern Conference standings and began to look more comfortable on the court as they racked in wins.
Indiana found themselves under big pressure in high intensity environments game after game as the season went on but they continued to keep their cool and not fold under the pressure. The duo of Boston and Clark continued to thrive along with the help of Mitchell as the trio combined for 54 points and accounted for 78.2% of the teams scoring in the Fever’s game against the Aces on July 3.
It was the WNBA All-Star game where Mitchell, Clark, and Boston were selected and Clark led all players with 700,735 votes. At one point in July, Clark had a double-double streak that lasted up to five games straight. They clinched two big wins against the top teams in the western conference in the Phoenix Mercury and Minnesota Lynx, where they dominated both games. It seemed as though everything was coming together for Indiana as they were showing depth in their roster and had players such as Lexie Hull stepping up along with Smith as well. The WNBA All-Star and Olympic break caused a one-month hiatus from the league as players traveled to Paris for the Olympic Games.
August (5-1)
The one-month break was much needed for Indiana as they returned with a freshly rested roster ready to win some games. They came out hot, winning five games with just one loss, and reached a strong goal of matching their win total from the 2023 season. The first game back was against the Mercury, where they won by nine points and, at one point, had a 28-point lead. Indiana came out with filled energy and showed confidence in one another.
Comparing the team in August to what they had looked like in May was unrecognizable as they were playing sufficient and well over great teams like the Seattle Storm and Mercury, but their lone loss was against the Minnesota Lynx. But in a critical game on August 28, the Fever broke an 11-game losing streak against the Sun. Mitchell led the pack with 23 points, while Clark had 19 points. It was a statement win for Indiana as they were proving to the league that they can compete in the postseason and are far gone from their ways of losing.
This month, the Fever was above .500 for the first time in five years. They won against every other WNBA team at least once, except the Aces. But they finished the month of August with three straight wins, including the last game on Aug. 30, when Clark scored a career-high 31 points and 12 assists against a young Chicago Sky team. The face of their franchise in Clark was showing what she was drafted for and what she had to offer for the Fever.
There were back-to-back games where Indiana reached 100 points, and the playoffs were in near sight. The pair of Mitchell and Clark were thriving as they combined for over 50+ points the entire month and showed as one of the most promising backcourts in the WNBA. They complimented each other perfectly as Clark was setting up Mitchell for success to use her mid-range jump shot, and Mitchell found Clark on almost all fast breaks.
September (4-4)
Indiana clinched a playoff berth for the first time since 2016 as Boston and Clark used their young talents to show a promising future for the Fever. They clinched the No. 6 seed in the WNBA playoffs and finished the regular season with wins over the Dallas Wings, Los Angeles Sparks, and Atlanta Dream. While they also had four losses, there were still standout performances by Boston and Clark, as they both had 30+ point games in September. But after the final regular season loss against the Washington Mystics, the Fever were locked in on the playoffs as they were set to play against No. 3 seed Connecticut Sun.
Playoffs (2-0 series loss against Connecticut Sun)
Game one was where Indiana went back to their old roots from the beginning of the season. Alyssa Thomas took over to have her fourth career triple-double in the playoffs to spoil Clark's postseason debut. Indiana lost 93-69 to go down 1-0 in the best of three games series. The ultimate veteran powerhouse in the Sun was too much for Indiana to handle in game one, as they were much more experienced than every player on Indiana. Connecticut came into the series with 222 playoff games under their belt, while Indiana had just 19 and zero among the starters. It was that lack of experience that rattled the fever early in the game and continued throughout the game as well. While they could go back and forth with the Sun in the first half, the Sun took over and closed the opening 20 minutes on a 12-2 run and didn't look back.
Except for game two, the Fever came out ready to face the Sun from the start. It went down to the game's last two minutes to decide the winner. Boston hit a layup with 2:05 left in the game to give Indiana a two-point lead, but DeWanna Bonner for the Sun answered with a 3-pointer 14 seconds later. Neither team scored for the next couple of possessions until Marina Mabrey hit a 3-pointer from the wing with 45 seconds left to give the Sun a commanding four-point lead. Mitchell then missed a 3-pointer on the next possession, which sealed the Sun win.
Boston finished with 16 points and 19 rebounds in a terrific all-around performance and by far her best playoff game, while Clark also had a bounce-back performance with 25 points and nine assists. It just was not enough for the Fever to pull off the upset. Despite the early exit in the playoffs, there is a lot to celebrate for the Fever from this season. Clark was named the WNBA Rookie of the Year, proving she is the real deal. She focused on her game and avoided any issues pushed onto her by the media, which was looking to start controversies. She proved that she is in the category of being the best point guard in the league, even as a rookie.
After breaking records by attracting so much attention this season, it is for sure that they will continue to draw attention their way after a historic season. They can also rebuild more around their roster, and general manager Lin Dunn can work on giving players the experience of playing alongside Clark and Boston. They need a small and power forward, which they struggled with this season, and to find a player that fits into Sides’ offensive style.
Clark will focus on herself this offseason after having one of the best rookie seasons in WNBA history. She was a leader for the Indiana Fever organization this season and found her footing in the WNBA with the league's weight on her shoulders. The future looks promising in Indiana as they continue to build around the young core of Boston and Clark.
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