Odyssey Sims has built her career on speed, strength, and a relentless drive to the basket. But on Tuesday night in Indianapolis, the 32-year-old guard briefly slipped into someone else’s role, one that belongs to her more famous backcourt teammate, Caitlin Clark.
Midway through the fourth quarter of the Indiana Fever‘s 95-75 rout of the Seattle Storm, Sims found herself stranded well beyond the arc as the shot clock dwindled.
With just three seconds remaining and a defender in her face, she had no choice but to let it fly from 35 feet, a spot usually reserved for Clark. The ball banked in off the glass, sending the crowd into a frenzy and Clark herself to her feet in disbelief.
“I did not think it was going in, I was just as surprised everybody else, ya’ll saw my face,” Sims admitted with a laugh. “I was like, ‘Oh my goodness, it went in! And here we go, right back like I knew it was gonna happen,’ but I didn’t. But hey, that just shows we was having a great night, collectively. Not just myself, but my team included, it was just everything was going right for us.”
Filling Clark’s void with her own flair
The shot was more than a highlight-reel moment. It symbolized how much more comfortable Sims has become since signing with the Fever on August 10.
When Clark went down with a lingering groin injury, Indiana’s depth at point guard evaporated. Sydney Colson and Aari McDonald had already been ruled out for the season, leaving head coach Stephanie White scrambling for options.
Sims, who had just one practice before debuting, was thrust into the lineup with little preparation. After easing in off the bench, she has now started four straight games, looking more confident each night. Her 22 points and six assists against Seattle not only paced Indiana but also underscored her ability to adapt quickly in an offense that revolves around Clark‘s playmaking.
White praised her veteran guard for embracing the challenge.
“Her gift is her ability to get to the rim,” White said. “It’s the ability to get downhill. She was aggressive and she made the right reads. When she needed to see the collapse and pass it off, she did. When she had the advantage, she went to the rim. I just thought she played a really good pace, and I thought she played aggressive offensively, and it’s exactly what we need.”
A night that could spark momentum
Tuesday’s win snapped Indiana’s three-game losing streak and kept them firmly in the playoff race. For Sims, the performance was her clearest statement yet that she can shoulder responsibility while Clark works back toward full health.
By becoming only the second Fever player – after Clark – to reach 50 points and 25 assists in fewer than six games, she carved out her own slice of franchise history. Sims said her quick adjustment has been made easier by the players around her.
“I’m surrounded by some really great players,” she explained. “They’re great teammates, so just continuing to learn, especially defensively and offensively, just to just stay aggressive and just do the little things, continue to be an energy player, try my best to just do the best I can. Like I said, great teammates around me, and they’re gonna continue to uplift me.”
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