The Indiana Fever entered the Olympic break with an 11-15 record. They ended the first portion of the 2024 WNBA season with a frustrating 101-93 defeat against the Dallas Wings. Still, the Fever have displayed signs of potential. With that being said, there is certainly room to improve.
Most of the attention has focused on rookie Caitlin Clark throughout the campaign. Clark is in the middle of a Rookie of the Year-caliber season. Kelsey Mitchell, Aliyah Boston, and NaLyssa Smith have also played well. However, if the Fever want to make a serious run at the playoffs, they will need to take steps forward in three specific areas.
1. Limit Turnovers
Limiting turnovers is of the utmost importance. Indiana is currently coughing the ball up 14.1 times per game, which is the fourth-worst mark in the WNBA. The Fever feature a young team and turnovers are destined to happen, but the constant mistakes may end up costing Indiana a postseason spot.
As mentioned, Clark has enjoyed a strong season. She is also a primary ball-handler who deals with consistent defensive pressure every game. As a result, Clark is averaging 5.6 turnovers per outing, the highest mark on the team.
Every other Fever player is averaging 2.0 turnovers or less per contest. Faulting Clark in this area is difficult since opposing defenses clearly prepare to contain her. Still, part of becoming a superstar in any sport is learning to adapt to the circumstances.
Clark needs to be better when it comes to taking care of the basketball. The Fever’s goal of limiting turnovers will begin with her.
2. Free Throws
Free throws are not incredibly exciting to discuss. They can, however, play a significant role in a playoff team’s journey. Most good teams are able to connect on their free throw attempts rather consistently. The Fever are the fourth-worst team (76.6%) in the league when it comes to free throw percentage.
Clark may have received some blame in the turnover department, but she has been fantastic from the line. The Fever rookie is shooting 89.1 percent so far during the 2024 season.
Clark isn’t the only player on the team shooting well from the line. Six Fever players are shooting over 80 percent on free throw attempts. The problem is that the seven other players who have received minutes in 2024 for the Fever are shooting less than 70 percent.
Indiana needs more consistency in this department moving forward. They are leaving far too many points at the line.
3. Overall Defensive Effort
Finally, and most importantly, the Fever need to be better on the defensive end of the floor. Indiana is surrendering the second-most points per game (87.3).
Opponents are shooting over 44 percent from the field and 35.2 percent from beyond the arc. Perhaps the Fever need to implement a more aggressive brand of defense, as they currently rank last in the WNBA with only 6.0 steals per outing.
Causing havoc by forcing turnovers can completely change the dynamic of games. As mentioned earlier, Indiana is turning the ball over far too often on the offensive end of the floor. It goes without saying, but it is not a recipe for success when you are failing to cause turnovers while giving the ball away as well.
The Fever are third in the Eastern Conference, trailing the Connecticut Sun and New York Liberty. The chances of Indiana catching either of those teams are slim, but the Fever still have an opportunity to make things interesting if they address the three aforementioned areas following the Olympic break.