There was a lot riding on Tuesday night’s game for the Indiana Fever. A three-game losing streak. A thinned-out roster. And their star rookie, Caitlin Clark, sitting out with a quad injury.
But despite Clark wearing sweats instead of sneakers, she was fired up on the bench – and it wasn’t long before everyone knew why.
Aari McDonald, signed just days earlier, made her Fever debut and immediately turned heads. The 26-year-old guard brought grit, speed, and just the right amount of chaos off the bench. In 27 minutes, she tallied seven points and a game-changing offensive foul that had Clark and Aliyah Boston literally posing on the sideline like fans at a concert.
From Beijing to Indiana: Aari McDonald makes a coast-to-coast impact in one night
It’s been a whirlwind for McDonald, who joined the Fever after a stint with the Beijing Great Wall and just a few days of practice – if you can even call it that. “OMG, it was a lot,” she laughed postgame. “I didn’t know the plays. I was watching film on my own, asking questions constantly. But you have to be a sponge. That’s what I focused on.”
Head coach Stephanie White praised McDonald’s quick impact. “This was the best our offense has flowed,” she said. “The movement, the reads – it all clicked.”
Lexie Hull added 14 points, second only to Kelsey Mitchell’s 18, and emphasized what’s been driving the team: speed and decision-making. “We’re focused on point-five basketball – get it and move it,”Hull said.“It’s about trusting each other to make the right reads, and tonight we did that.”
McDonald, still settling in, isn’t getting too comfortable. “I’m not satisfied,”she said. “But I’m grateful. Just staying ready – that’s what matters.”
Clark is expected to return soon, but until then, the Fever may have found a surprising engine in McDonald. And if Clark and Boston’s reactions are any indication, she’s already won the locker room.
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