3 Ways Caitlin Clark-less Fever Continuing Indiana’s Team-First Approach is Baffling WNBA

When the Indiana Fever first assembled the roster to surround Caitlin Clark, they focused on bringing in experienced veterans whose star power and skills would help the young point guard lead them to a championship.

5 months later, neither is the 23-year-old superstar a part of their surge to the 2nd round of the WNBA playoffs, nor are quite a few of those additions.

Instead, the team has come this far on the back of its remaining core, as well as the several short-term contract players it signed over the course of the season.

In fact, other than letting go of DeWanna Bonner, once she decided she did not fit in with the team’s playing style, the franchise has signed 6 players to the rest of the season contract. The first was Aari McDonald, when Clark’s injuries became a recurring problem.

Then they signed Chloe Bibby to help mitigate the loss of Bonner. After McDonald and Sydney Colson were lost to season-ending injuries in the same game, they signed Odyssey Sims.

Then came Shey Peddy. Soon, Aerial Powers followed after Sophie Cunningham was done for the year. Finally, they brought back rookie draftee Bree Hall to add depth once Bibby ended her season.

Not one analyst picked them to even survive the first two games of the playoffs after going through that much of a roster turnover throughout the season.

Surprisingly, they are still here, and just handed 4-time league MVP A’ja Wilson and her 2nd-place Las Vegas Aces, a drubbing in front of their fans. This appears to be the effect of the culture that head coach Stephanie White has instilled.

Fever learnt to play with each other and not just depend on superstars

When Caitlin Clark first arrived, some naysayers claimed that there was unrest inside the Indiana Fever’s locker room. The reason was that she was amassing millions through endorsements through the ‘underserved’ fan following that she had.

Soon, that myth was busted as it became apparent that the Iowa star was as grounded as anyone could be. Even though the Fever lost a lot of their teammates from last season, her demeanor has not changed.

The 2-time All-Star still hugs and daps up her teammates, even those who came in on 7-day hardship deals, to make them feel as if they are a part of the team.

Head coach Stephanie White has instilled this no-superstar philosophy, which Clark started last season. Even though she is the most important reason that the WNBA is garnering millions of new eyeballs, her actions make her teammates feel as if they are part of this transformational change.

The chemistry between all the 16 players on the squad is such that they do not have any airs about themselves. That helps them perform to their fullest, and not have to worry about giving in to a superstar’s need.

Caitlin Clark, too, has done that through her play, never unjustly demanding the ball, something top athletes generally do. As a result, all the players on the team play to their best, and that has led them to surprise the rest of the WNBA.

Caitlin Clark-less Fever is a mismatch nightmare

When teams reach the playoffs, usually their respective head coaches call upon the best 7-8 or a maximum of 9 players. That is what every other team was doing in the 2025 WNBA postseason.

The Indiana Fever happens to be the only team other than the Golden State Valkyries, which called upon more than 9 players in their postseason series. In fact, the former have deployed more players from their rotation than the Valkyries, who are made up of role players.

On top of that, every player is instructed to do their part, and take shots as they feel is necessary. This creates a matchup nightmare for the opposition, who are wired to focus on the Fever’s best players.

The last few minutes of their Game 3 win against the Atlanta Dream proved that teamwork pays off. Every player on the floor contributed in some way or the other.

The Dream did not have an answer to the Fever’s rotation players, leaving them confused and quite literally falling over each other when trying to defend them.

The Aces faced a similar problem, something head coach Becky Hammon would try to fix. Until she does, her pre-game claim that the Fever has not seen this version of her Aces fell flat. Instead, it seems they did not anticipate facing this version of the Indianapolis-based squad.

Fever has players ready and rested for late-game situations

Another advantage of this team-first approach is that the Indiana Fever has a roster that is less fatigued by postseason minutes requirements. The Aces and Fever had a similar number of players logging about 30 minutes or more.

The Aces also brought in two of its players for 5 minutes or more, but those players have not been a part of the rotation for a considerable amount of time. Hence, they are reacting to the situation more than being a part of the game plan.

On the other hand, the Fever’s bench players have had a taste of what they are required to do in various instances in the regular season, as well as in their 1st round matchup against the Dream.

For instance, when rookie Mikayla Timpson was sent in during the final few seconds of Game 3, she used her length to force the Dream to throw into whatever space they could find.

That helped Lexie Hull steal the ball away and effectively give them the win. The Fever’s bench knows what to do and is only sent in if the situation requires their assistance.

Additionally, since a lot of the late-game defensive tasks are placed on the bench players, the starters need not exhaust themselves as much as the other team does.

It is unknown if these methods can help them win a championship, as their big brother team, the Indiana Pacers, fell short in the last few yards after Tyrese Haliburton‘s injury.

The Pacers executed this team-first method in their amazing run to Game 7 of the NBA Finals. The Fever might not have the players to execute such a run, but their heart is pushing them as far as they can go.

Also Read:

• Allisha Gray’s Meltdown Leading to Fan’s Removal From Fever Game Triggers Social Media: “This League is So Soft”
• “Who is Caitlin Clark Scared of?” – Fans React to Superstar’s ‘Tweet and Delete Move’ over WNBA Clock Controversy