After a string of injuries took out Aari McDonald, Sydney Colson, and Sophie Cunningham, the Fever were left with a gaping hole on their roster. They were all of a sudden without a point guard, meaning that Kelsey Mitchell would have to be the team’s leading scorer as well as playmaker.
Signing Odyssey Sims and Shey Peddy to hardship contracts solved the lack of a point guard. Sims played a big role in the Fever’s comeback against the Connecticut Sun, and Peddy put up solid numbers in her Fever debut against the Minnesota Lynx, living up to early expectations.
After losing Cunningham, the Fever were also left without much depth on the wing. They never truly replaced DeWanna Bonner, who played minutes at the small forward spot. Recently, Chloe Bibby played some minutes at the three, but she also wasn’t available to play against the Lynx due to a knee injury.
The Fever had to sign another player to a seven-day hardship contract to add some wing depth. Aerial Powers will suit up for the Fever now, wearing number 23.
Aerial Powers last played for the Golden State Valkyries
Aerial Powers didn’t start the season off on a WNBA roster. The Golden State Valkyries picked her up earlier in the season when several of their players were out due to injury and national team commitments. She only played a total of seven minutes in two games, though.
Her first game wasn’t overly impressive, but in her second outing, she recorded two points, one rebound, one assist, and one steal in just four minutes of play.
Aerial Powers is a capable rotational player
Powers dealt with some injuries in recent seasons, but has been a good rotational player for most of her career. In 2022, she still averaged almost 27 minutes per game and put up 14.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.2 steals for the Minnesota Lynx. Before that, she played almost 20 minutes per game for the Washington Mystics in 2019.
Powers can provide a solid mixture of scoring, playmaking, and defense that the Fever desperately need in their depleted state. Unlike with the Valkyries, Powers should get a chance to see the court pretty quickly. Lexie Hull, the only true wing left in Stephanie White’s rotation, played 38 minutes against the Lynx. Mitchell, the team’s leading scorer, also played 35 minutes. Both played well and almost led the team to a win, which likely figured into their extended time on the court, but there was also simply no one else who could have taken their minutes.