How the Fever Can Endure After Caitlin Clark’s Absence and Other Key Injuries. The 2025 WNBA season was expected to mark a turning point for the Indiana Fever. With Caitlin Clark’s electric rookie debut in 2024, Aliyah Boston’s rise into a dominant frontcourt presence, and steady leadership from veteran Kelsey Mitchell, the Fever entered the year with real playoff hopes and national buzz. Early results suggested the team was finally breaking away from a decade of struggles.
Yet by August, adversity had struck again. Clark was already sidelined by a nagging groin injury, and then Indiana was hit with a devastating series of season-ending setbacks. Sophie Cunningham, Sydney Colson, and Aari McDonald all went down, leaving the Fever’s backcourt dangerously thin and their playoff outlook uncertain. Still, the challenge has shifted from whether the Fever will collapse to how they can rally and salvage a season once full of promise.
The losses were staggering. On August 7, both Colson (ACL tear) and McDonald (fractured foot) were ruled out in the same game. Ten days later, Cunningham tore her MCL against the Connecticut Sun, eliminating another critical guard from the rotation. With Clark’s return timetable unclear, Indiana was left with virtually no natural point guards. To patch the gaps, the Fever signed veteran Odyssey Sims and rookie Kyra Lambert, showing their intent to keep competing despite the blows.
That resilience was on full display when the Fever stormed back from a 21-point deficit to defeat Connecticut 99-93 in overtime — the largest comeback in franchise history. Mitchell erupted for a career-best 38 points, Boston elevated her play, and the team’s grit was praised by Coach Christie Sides in a passionate postgame speech.
Currently sitting at 19-16 and holding sixth place in the league, the Fever remain in the playoff mix, though their grip is far from secure. Their survival has hinged on a vastly improved defense, which has leapt from near the league’s bottom in 2024 to a respectable mid-tier ranking in 2025 — the biggest defensive turnaround in WNBA history.
Offensively, Indiana has managed by spreading responsibilities across the roster. With Clark out, the scoring floor has actually risen, allowing Coach Sides to rely more on Mitchell, Boston, Natasha Howard, Hull, and now Sims to share the burden. Cunningham had been a valuable sharpshooter before her injury, averaging 12.4 points on 45.5% from deep, but Mitchell and Howard’s production has helped offset that loss.
Despite the injuries, the Fever’s mix of grit, defensive improvement, and balanced offense has kept their season alive — turning what could have been a collapse into an unlikely fight for survival.
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