Sure, Indiana is teetering on the hopeful edge of making the playoffs, and they are clearly, emphasis on the word clearly, better than at least four other teams in the league. But among the top eight ones right now, their net rating is last, which doesn’t exactly inspire confidence for a first-round upset. Still, don’t forget, they’ve had 17 players on their roster this year, thanks to injuries that just kept coming, right up until very recently. So, it became a game of next woman up and Kelsey Mitchell shone the brightest. As ESPN’s Kevin Pelton wrote, Mitchell “has stepped up as Indiana’s primary perimeter creator in Clark’s absence.”

But recently, White had someone else to thank.

On Friday night, the Indiana Fever moved just one win closer to clinching a playoff spot. With a 97-77 victory over the Sky, Indiana improved to 22-20. Kelsey Mitchell led the charge with a game-high 20 points, and Natasha Howard added 18. Yet it was Aliyah Boston who had evidently taken something that Stephanie White said a bit too literally.

“I think she’s been great. We’ve asked a lot of her, and she’s delivered. I think that there were times early in the year where we needed her to score more. She’s almost taken the playmaking too literal, and now she’s back to doing a little bit of both. I always say to AB, I’d like for her to take two or three threes a game,” Stephanie White shared when asked about AB’s playmaking progression.

Well, earlier in July, with Caitlin Clark’s injuries increasing the playmaking load, White had asked Boston to be the offensive hub of the team. Boston’s job, White noted, would extend beyond passing, making her responsible for creating plays and scoring opportunities for the team. And Boston delivered. Her usage rate has climbed to a career-high 21.7% while her assist percentage is 23%. Also, for the month of September, the two metrics were 24% and 34.3% respectively.

“I think that she’s got that in her arsenal, and we want her to continue to do that. But again, she’s continued to step up to the challenge, continued to be exactly what we need, and been a calming voice on the floor for our team, and that’s been important.” Averaging 3.7 career-high assists per game, AB ended up contributing a strong stat line even in Friday’s game.

She had five assists with four rebounds and 11 points. This is really impressive as she’s been the most affected on Indy’s roster. As Stephanie White put it best: “AB has been the one that’s been most affected by all our injuries.” While hardship contracts kept the Fever competitive during CC’s absence, so did AB, who experienced an outsized burden as Clark’s closest on-court partner. Once, both were a seamless pick-and-roll duo; this season, Boston’s been forced to recalibrate her game with ever-changing guards. She’s adjusted from running sets with CC to adapting alongside Kelsey Mitchell, Aari McDonald, Sydney Colson, and now Odyssey Sims.

But Boston never fails to deliver. Averaging 15.1 points with 8.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists, Boston has cemented herself as one of the most efficient frontcourt anchors. Despite opponents consistently working to collapse the paint and stop her from reaching the rim, she keeps adding tricks to move out.

The 23-year-old big is not just averaging career-high assists, but has even made history as the fastest center to reach 100 assists in a single season. The Fever’s “playmaking machine” reached a record after accumulating six dimes in a game versus the Sky on July 27th. Even when she became the WNBA Player of the Week, the Fever celebrated the moment with a highlight of her playmaking reel.

So, while she improved in 2024, too, this season she’s explosive. Despite the absence of CC this season, the Fever thrived and won five straight games, and Boston played a large part in it. And as a result of their winning streak, the Fever now have a 92.2% chance of clinching a postseason spot. But now, the pressure on AB is even more!

AB’s breakout fuels Indy’s championship hopes 

“They need to get Aliyah Boston involved, especially in their current reality with new point guards galore, with in-n-out players,” Tony East shared in a recent episode of the Locked On Women’s Basketball podcast. “Aliyah Boston is a good enough finisher and has added so much patience and timing and rhythm and screen-setting ability to her game the last two years in the Fever’s kind of competitive window that she draws defensive attention.”

And yet, Boston is already delivering. She had 27 points with nine rebounds against the Seattle Storm, with Sims (22 points, 6 assists) and Mitchell (21 points) providing key support. This is enough to get a strong run in the postseason. Why not? Lexie Hull, AB, Natasha Howard, and even Kelsey Mitchell have played every single game for the Fever this season. Their experience is enough to guide them into the postseason.

Especially when Boston and Mitchell are putting up career-high averages in points. Even “tough” Hull is explosive, putting up a career high in both 7.2 points and 4.4 rebounds. The cherry on top is Howard, a three-time WNBA champion, and the duo of Sims and Powers, combining for 55 postseason games of experience. So the team’s still a championship contender with Aliyah Boston leading the squad. But can they? Share your thoughts below!