The Indiana Fever are heading to the playoffs this season, and could even be on their way to meeting the Atlanta Dream in the first round. That potential rematch is an exciting and intense one, especially since the Fever sent the Dream home from the same round last season. But if the Fever really wants to advance further than they did last year, the team will have to lock in and improve in a key area: defense.
That's been part of the narrative surrounding the Fever all season, and it's something head coach Stephanie White has spoken extensively about throughout 2026. Though the team beat the Connecticut Sun 111-91 on Friday, White still had thoughts about their defensive performance.
"I think that we still see a little bit of the inconsistent nature of our group," she told reporters after the game. "Sometimes it's on the defensive end. We saw it in the game tonight, first and third quarters. Sometimes it's on the offensive end when the ball gets stuck, and it's not moving side to side."
Luckily, she continued, the team has players that can "explode at any moment," but that isn't something the team needs to be relying on for the rest of the season, and certainly not for the playoffs.
If there's something — or even two somethings — the Fever can rely on, it's the skills of Kelsey Mitchell and Caitlin Clark. The two have been powering the Fever this season. Mitchell just became only the second player to hit 1,000 points in a single season, and she could even break the record A'ja Wilson set in 2024 (1,021 points). Mitchell is currently leading Wilson in terms of total points scored.
Mitchell is currently averaging 25.0 points and 2.8 assists for far this season. This season she set the league's record in terms of consecutive 20+ point games, and earned her 21st on August 21. Though Mitchell told reporters that night that she doesn't take stats too seriously, her scoring tear is impressive, and plenty of people are paying attention.
They're also talking about whether or not she's in the running for WNBA MVP this season. Wilson is leading the pack for most people, and the Minnesota Lynx's Olivia Miles is largely considered a viable candidate. But Mitchell's performance this season shouldn't be discounted, and her work on the floor has made an impact. A win for Wilson would be her fifth, a win for Miles would pair nicely with her likely Rookie of the Year nod, and a win for Mitchell would be her first-ever MVP.
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