Aliyah Boston’s transition from the college game to the WNBA was seamless. Although only 24, the Fever star already has a stacked resume that features a unanimous Rookie of the Year selection, three All-Star selections, a 2025 Commissioner’s Cup championship, and spots on the 2025 All-WNBA Second Team and All-Defensive Second Team.
While Boston was a star as soon as she entered the W, her third year in the league was her best season yet. She grew significantly as a playmaker, helped lead the Fever on a surprisingly deep playoff run, and officially entered All-WNBA territory. Her fourth season in the league will be her most important one yet. Not only will she have to solidify her standing as one of the best bigs in the league, but the expectations for her team are also sky-high. Sue Bird, for one, seems to think Boston looks ready to take on the challenge.
“Aliyah Boston looks great right now,” Sue Bird said during her Unrivaled preview on the latest episode of Bird’s Eye View. “She looked great in USA camp. She’s now really found her game and just has a confidence about ‘this is what I do, and I’m going to be great at these things.’”
Confidence is a big part of growing a young player’s game. Sue Bird knows what finding that confidence looks like, and if she sees it in Boston, the rest of the league should start to worry about her and the Fever.
Boston’s development is one of the keys to the Fever’s championship pursuit
Boston proved that she was a great player in her first three seasons in the league, but she is still only 24. This is just the beginning, and Bird’s assessment of Boston’s growth promises another leap in her fourth WNBA season.
That leap could be the key to the Fever’s first true championship pursuit with their current core. Boston, Caitlin Clark, and Kelsey Mitchell are the most important players on the Fever’s roster. If Boston can get even better, it would make going through some of the great bigs that stand between the Fever and a shot at a championship less difficult.
For Boston, there are two obvious areas of improvement: expanding her range, which is something Fever coach Stephanie White has been adamant about, and really leaning into her ability as a playmaker. The latter, especially, could completely change the way the Fever play. Boston took significant steps forward as a playmaker when Clark was out, but the Fever haven’t really gotten a chance to see what utilizing Boston as a point-forward would look like with Clark there to benefit from her passing.