The Indiana Fever isn't having the best time right now, collectively or as individuals. Several members of the team, including Caitlin Clark, Kelsey Mitchell, Lexie Hull, and Sophie Cunningham have offered frank explanations for what's contributing to the team's struggle of late, all of which boil down to what's been observable: the team's defense is in turmoil, and there's no quick fix in sight.
That's a tough pill to swallow for everyone involved, and it's also a situation that isn't likely to significantly improve before Thursday's game against the Atlanta Dream. This will be the first regular season match between the teams, and the game is one of a handful the Dream had moved to State Farm Arena.
That means there will be significantly more people watching Thursday night — and they'll be there to root for the hometown team.
The Indiana Fever had a two-hour meeting this week
The team met for two hours this week to get everything out in the open: how they're feeling at this point in the season, what went wrong during their 100-84 loss to the Portland Fire, and more. That meeting was confirmed by Cunningham at practice today and Mitchell also addressed what the team and staff spoke about.
Cunningham told reporters that the team is in a good place and "ready to work" after having the chance to air everything. Mitchell added that the team's culture has been tested of late, and reminded reporters (and, by extension, fans and anyone interested) that basketball isn't always easy. These kinds of tough starts hardly dictate how a season ends up, and can often spur a team to lock in and win some games.
One needs only look at the 2025 season and the story of how the Las Vegas Aces navigated it — the team ended up winning the Championship despite experiencing their own tough start last year. The issues facing the Fever now and the Aces then aren't the same, but assuming that a 4-4 beginning means the Fever are washed in 2026 would be unwise at this point.
White also told reporters the meeting gave the team the opportunity to grow beyond what's happened so far and what they're also reading and seeing.
Of course, only time will tell if the meeting impacts the team's upcoming game against the Dream. The Fever has ongoing concerns to continue to address, something that will take teamwork and focus — and might not be something they can pull off in only two days.
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