The Indiana Fever entered the season believing they had the right mix of young stars and veteran presence to make a deep playoff run. Instead, injuries and simmering tensions have left head coach Stephanie White navigating one of the most difficult stretches of her tenure.
With Caitlin Clark sidelined and two key guards lost for the season, the Fever are scrambling to hold their place in the standings while dealing with a roster that looks increasingly unsettled.
The front office moved quickly after losing Sydney Colson and Aari McDonald, signing veteran guard Odyssey Sims to help steady the backcourt. At 33, Sims brings experience and scoring potential, but her start in Indiana has been rocky.
She is averaging just 5.5 points through her first two games and has at times looked out of sync with her new teammates. White acknowledged the challenge of blending a fresh face into a team already stretched thin.
“It takes a lot out of you when you lose players, especially the way that [the injuries] happened,” White said after a tough loss to the Washington Mystics. “It takes a lot out of you emotionally, mentally. But it’s sports. It’s part of the business, it’s part of what we do.”
For Sims, the adjustment period is about patience. “Just giving myself grace coming into a new team, learning quickly, studying,” she said. “Of course, I’m just learning to play, and it’s not that I’m just coming to practice. It’s just that everything happens pretty fast.”
Indiana sits at 18-16, third in the conference, but the gap is closing. Every defeat has consequences, with rivals like the Mystics creeping up in the standings.
White admitted the situation forces a constant balancing act. “It is tough,” she said when asked about giving new players time to adapt while still competing for playoff seeding.
Sophie Cunningham adds fuel to Fever’s off-court fire
As White tries to hold the team together on the court, another challenge has emerged in the locker room.
Guard Sophie Cunningham has never shied away from speaking her mind, and her blunt commentary has reignited tensions with former Fever star DeWanna Bonner.
The two clashed visibly during Indiana’s game against the Phoenix Mercury on August 7, locking arms in a brief shoving match that added edge to an already testy matchup.
Cunningham, who joined the Fever this season after leaving Phoenix, later revealed the rivalry stemmed from Bonner’s abrupt departure from Indiana and the way it unfolded.
“I’m still rooting for her… But I also think that it’s okay to be professional about it, and like send a text to your teammates,” Cunningham said on her podcast, pointing out that Bonner left without explaining her decision to those she left behind.
On podcast, Cunningham admitted there was “maybe a little bit of beef” between the two, adding that Bonner reacted strongly to her earlier remarks.
“She didn’t listen to the whole clip. She just saw the thing about she could have handled it more professional, which honestly, everyone that’s talked to me besides their team was like, ‘Yeah, she could have.'”
Cunningham’s willingness to speak candidly has made her a favorite among Fever fans, but her feud with Bonner has also created fresh headlines at a time when Indiana would prefer to focus on basketball.
The Mercury thrashed the Fever by 35 points in their last meeting, and while Cunningham has embraced the rivalry, the distraction adds another layer to an already complicated stretch of the season.
Playoff push under mounting pressure
For White, the challenge is both immediate and long-term. With Colson and McDonald out for the season and Clark’s return date uncertain, the Fever must rely on contributions from players still learning their roles.
Sims is being asked to shoulder significant responsibility, while Cunningham’s outspoken leadership brings energy but also controversy.
White emphasized that everyone needs to find an extra gear to keep the Fever on track. “The first game back is always an adrenaline rush,” she said. “Everybody has to feel like they’ve got to do a little bit more.”
The Fever still hold a winning record, but the margin is razor thin. With the playoff race tightening, every decision, from who White trusts in crunch time to how the team manages its internal tensions, carries weight.
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