The Indiana Fever are struggling with the loss of Caitlin Clark (groin), Sophie Cunningham (knee), Sydney Colson (torn ACL), Aari McDonald (broken foot), and Chloe Bibby (knee). All of these players are out for the season due to various injuries mentioned before. Since the injuries to Caitlin Clark and Sophie Cunningham, the Indiana Fever have been losing games and have been blown out several times. With these losses and injuries, Indiana needs someone to step up and be a leader, and from what I have seen, this person is Kelsey Mitchell.
Recently, Kelsey Mitchell has been scoring more than 20 points per game and averaging close to 10 assists per game. It seems like Mitchell is trying the hardest to keep the Fever on track, even when they have injuries. She even broke her personal record of points in a game; she scored a total of 38 points, surpassing her previous number of 36 points. Along with this record, many fans have seen that Mitchell is carrying the Indiana Fever and deserves to be the MVP. Not only is she scoring a lot, but she has also taken the lead position on the team and is being an extraordinary teammate. If you watch Kelsey Mitchell play, she is being more aggressive, driving to the basket as frequently as possible. Every time I’ve watched her play over the past month, she has taken control of the game.
You can tell that every moment of the game, even when she is on the bench, Mitchell is giving support to the Fever and cheering for every single play, showing us how dedicated she is to not only herself but her teammates. Mitchell has proven that she can lead her team to continue to play well; on September 7th, Indiana clinched the playoffs with a win over the Washington Mystics, the final score being 94-65. Indiana will be one of the eight teams that have also made the playoffs and will most likely have to play either the Las Vegas Aces or the Atlanta Dream. I know that if Kelsey Mitchell is determined enough and truly wants to keep on winning, she will play her best, like she has been, and could succeed in the playoffs.
Kelsey Mitchell will have to continue to work hard to beat either the Dream or the Aces and stay in the playoffs. With the help of players like Aliyah Boston and Lexie Hull, it seems doable, but without some of the Fever’s best players, the team has been a little inconsistent. Even playing against teams like the Dallas Wings is a challenge, though they have Paige Bueckers. Dallas is still 9-34, being one of the worst teams in the WNBA, and Indiana still lost to them. On the other hand, the Indiana Fever has won against teams like the Las Vegas Aces, who are ranked 3rd in the WNBA. Having this inconsistency is making me think that it will be difficult for the Fever to win in the playoffs and not just be blown out by lower-level teams, as seen in the past.
In my opinion, if Kelsey Mitchell can continue to step up for the Indiana Fever and be as determined as she has looked, play more aggressively, and get the Fever to play more consistently, it seems like Mitchell will be the one to carry Indiana and show that the Fever can still be a succeed in the regular season and playoffs even with all the injuries.
