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The Indiana Fever are set to return to the WNBA playoffs for the first time since 2016, led by superstar rookie Caitlin Clark.
But it didn’t always look like that would be the case, especially after a brutal 1-8 start to the season. But Indiana went 19-12 down the stretch, making it one of the league’s most dangerous teams entering the postseason.
So, how did the turnaround happen?
Alexa Phillipou of ESPN spoke with several members of the organization in an attempt to answer that question. And All-Star guard Kelsey Mitchell believes she knows exactly what happened, and it’s all down to relationships.
“You don’t get into relationships, romantic or not romantic, without knowing the people,” she told Philipou. “To have a really good basketball team and a really good partnership, you have to know who you’re dealing with. As small as their grammar, hear the way they speak, being passionate about things and what they don’t like. I think it goes hand-in-hand when you’re trying to figure out how to get the next stop and get the next play.”
Nothing quite speaks to those relationships like the numbers. Phillipou writes that the Fever’s offensive rating has skyrocketed from 96.6 points per 100 possessions in May, to 109.6 in the months since.
The first mark was the second worst in the WNBA. The second leads the league.
Don’t believe Mitchell about relationships? Just ask Becky Hammon, who has coached the Las Vegas Aces to the last two WNBA championships.
“Time is huge with a young team,” Hammon said. “Chemistry and that stuff just doesn’t happen.”
Ultimately, the key likely lies with Clark. Her early-season struggles are well documented. Recently, however, Clark looks like one of the league’s best players. She’s living up to what were immense expectations, and carrying a dangerous Fever team into the playoffs.
Clark is dominating. Her teammates all seem to be on the same page with her, and the Fever are the last team that you want to see across from you as the WNBA playoffs begin.