Indiana Fever’s vision of a perfect storybook ending seems to have come to a staggering halt after their star player, Caitlin Clark, left the team to tend to her left quad sprain. But as backup Sydney Colson and second backup Sophie Cunningham too joined Clark on the bench, fans and Fever still have their hub to rely on. With an average of 16.8 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in the regular season so far, people have been anticipating Boston to outshine her opponents and become a rising star in Clark’s absence.

Aliyah Boston isn’t just a star on the court, she’s the glue holding the Fever together during this rough patch. With Clark sidelined, Boston’s stepped up as a leader, keeping the team’s spirits high with her infectious energy and confidence, both in games and online.

However, a few days after the team’s worst performance of the season against the Connecticut Sun, where they dished an 85-83 victory to the last standing team on the WNBA rankings, Aliyah Boston took to Instagram to give a fitting reply to the Indiana Fever coach, Keith Porter. The player development coach has been instrumental in shaping athletes like Boston, DeWanna Bonner, and others. But things took a turn when he reposted WNBA photographer, Bri Lewerke’s post on his story.

Originally titled, “Fever Gameday“, the carousal included candid and light hearted moments from Indiana Fever’s tip off against the Connecticut Sun. Keith commented, “Go Time!” on the post before sharing a particular picture on his story. The photograph includes Boston and Keith indulged in an animated conversation on the hardwood. While Keith can be seen in a white tee, grey tracks and white Nike as he motions his left hand wrapped in a light fist, casually towards Boston, the wide-eyed athlete appears amused with both her hands pointing inwards.

Keith tagged Boston on the story and captioned the picture on behalf of the athlete, “‘You’re saying I’m wrong?” @aliyah.boston…YES.” He playfully accused Boston of voicing the words, as if she is asking the coach whether she is in the wrong. In fact, it looks like Boston is trying to say something in the moment the picture was captioned. Moreover, Boston kept the banter running as she reposted the story on her Instagram account and cleared the air.

She gave a 7-word reply to coach KP above the image and wrote, “Personally I know I’m never wrong.” She even added two laughing emoticons next to her reply after continuing the caption in the next line with, “Soo….Awkward.” Not only did Boston completely dismiss the coach’s suggestive question where Boston could be asking whether she is in the wrong, but also specified that since she is never on the wrong end, Keith’s caption no longer holds value. But the matter did not end here. Keith again posted Boston’s story with three laughing out loud emoticons on his Instagram.

This incident showcases a greater understanding and bond between the coach and the athlete. As someone who has significantly contributed to the professional development of Boston, whether it was her public appearances, interviews, or her poise on the court, Coach KP has a fun relationship with Indiana Fever locker room and the athletes like him back, as is clearly evident through the light-hearted online banter.

Aliyah Boston’s gameplay after Caitlin Clark sits on the bench

“We want her to be a scorer and facilitator from all five positions on the floor,” Stephanie White was clear when she announced her decision of creating an offensive hub around Aliyah Boston. The 2023 number one pick is a powerhouse of talent who has enough capacity to dominate the floor, create offences and making efficient pick and rolls for Indiana Fever. But it feels like the star has been struggling ever since her partner left the team.

But with Clark sidelined owing to a left quad sprain, Boston has been presented with an opportunity to outshine her teammates and opponents. As Fever went against the Mystics for the first time on the hardwood this regular season, Boston was stopped in her tracks by the Mystics rookies like Kiki Iriafen and Sonia Citron who successfully packed the paint along with Britney Sykes and restricted the Fever forward’s movements.

Not to mention, the Clark-Boston duo were a magical duo who created fabulous offences and gave their opponents a run for their money. While Clark stretched defences across the perimeter, Boston took care of the business in the paint. No wonder Boston is the most affected of all players. Moreover, she managed to dish just 10 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists with very less ball handovers despite a spacing crunch against the Mystics. But the losing streak did not end here.

As someone who made explosive 19-point shots against the New York Liberty, only managed 17 points, 5 rebounds, and 8 assists as she saw her opponent Marina Mabrey lead the Connecticut Sun by scoring 15 points in the third quarter alone. While Mabrey finished with 26 points, Tina Charles added 18 points and the Sun grabbed their first victory of the season in a close 85-83 margin against the Fever.

And though Boston had earlier admitted to playing better with the 2024 ROTY, the phenom should be able to deliver performances irrespective of other players on the hardwood. But as the season progresses without Clark, can Boston showcase her individuality and pull the team out of the sinking streak? It will be exciting to witness Boston’s career trajectory this season without Clark.