Fever fans are used to news saying that Indiana signed someone to a hardship contract. Injuries have plagued the team all season long. Aari McDonald, Sydney Colson, and Sophie Cunningham are officially out for the season, and there is still no timeline for Caitlin Clark’s return.
When McDonald and Colson went down, the Fever signed Odyssey Sims and Kyra Lambert. Sims quickly established herself as someone who could help the Fever win, but Lambert didn’t even step onto the court before being replaced by Shey Peddy. During practice on Wednesday, White said that the reason for the change was that with Cunningham out as well, the Fever needed an experienced point guard. Peddy has already played a total of 122 WNBA games, while Lambert hasn’t had a chance to make her debut yet.
When asked what she liked about Peddy, White said, “I like that she’s an experienced point guard in our league, that she can get teams organized, that she’s played in a number of high-profile, highly competitive games in this league, and that she’s had situations with different teams so she can adapt and understand and is high IQ and can absorb a lot of information quickly.”
Kelsey Mitchell, who previously played with Peddy in Turkey, said, “She and O[dessey Sims] are really good at helping teams win games.”
Judging from their comments, the expectations for Peddy are already clear: the Fever are hoping that she can have an immediate impact.
The Fever still have their eyes set on the playoffs
Despite their bad injury luck, the Fever still have a good position in the playoff picture. With a 19-16 record, they are sixth—2.5 games behind the Aces in the fifth seed and one game ahead of the Valkyries in seventh place. Considering how close the standings are, the Fever cannot afford many losses.
Unfortunately, the Fever’s remaining schedule is brutal. They still have to face the Minnesota Lynx three times, and Seattle, Golden State, and Phoenix once each. The Sparks and Mystics, who both beat the Fever recently, are also still waiting for rematches.
To survive that stretch, the Fever will need all hands on deck—including their newest addition. Kelsey Mitchell will continue to put the team on her back, but she will need all the help she can get. Players like Sims and Peddy, who can take the ball out of her hands and organize the team, will be invaluable.
Peddy also has postseason experience
For now, Peddy is on a seven-day hardship contract, but she could turn out to be a valuable player to keep around for the playoffs. One of Colson’s charms in the offseason was that she is a traditional point guard with plenty of playoff experience.
Peddy could fill the void left by Colson’s knee injury. She went to the playoffs three years in a row with the Phoenix Mercury, including a run to the finals in 2021. Peddy played 23 minutes per game, averaging 6.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and two steals.