The reason the Indiana Fever were in the position to draft Caitlin Clark was because they finished the previous season with a 13-27 record. Indiana drafted Aliyah Boston with the No. 1 overall pick a year before Clark, after winning only five games in 2023.
Expectations rose in 2024 with Clark on the roster, and the season resulted in the Fever's first playoff berth since 2016. Indiana was swept in the first round, which was not the result the team wanted, but it was still a valuable learning experience nonetheless.
The Fever's goal isn't merely to secure another playoff berth in 2025 following the offseason they had. Indiana made a flurry of moves, including re-signing Kelsey Mitchell and bringing in DeWanna Bonner and Natasha Howard. The latter two have won a combined five WNBA titles. The Fever also signed Sydney Colson, who was part of two championships with the Aces.
Clark didn't hesitate to say what success would look like for Indiana this season -- a championship.
Caitlin Clark and the Fever have their sights set on WNBA title
Bonner nailed it when she said, "What's the point of putting this roster together if you're not going to compete for a championship?" She said that she chose the Fever in free agency because of the players' desire to win and elevate Indiana to a different level in the postseason.
It didn't take long for the Fever to put key pieces around Clark, the best young star in the league. She won the WNBA Rookie of the Year award and finished fourth in WNBA MVP voting. The front office wanted to put Indiana in the best position to win a championship now -- and the hope is that Clark will have several with the Fever when she retires years from now. Why not start in 2025?
Indiana is in the contender conversation with New York, Las Vegas, and Minnesota. The Fever will need time to mesh together on the court, but that's normal for a team with a lot of new faces. As head coach Stephanie White said, Indiana's goal isn't to be playing the best basketball of the season in May, but instead, in September and October.
It'd be a mistake to write off any team that has Clark on it, especially one with a roster like the Fever has. Watch out for Indiana.