Indiana Fever HC Issues Playoff Order of What Not to Enforce in Caitlin Clark’s Absence

“I had hoped to share a better update, but I will not be returning to play this season.” With this message, Caitlin Clark called it quits on her second year in the WNBA. Unlike her flashy debut, her sophomore year was filled with four injuries and just thirteen games. The blow was severely heavy on Stephanie White, who was already down three OFS players. Even the player brought in to replace injured players, Chloe Bibby, went OFS due to a knee injury.

But like a phoenix, the Indiana Fever rose from the ashes and clinched the postseason berth. As Fever head coach Stephanie White puts it, “we’re not happy to just be in the playoffs.” The team has higher aims than just first-round exits. And looks like White is hard at work with the hurried group of players the Fever front office managed to assemble this deep in the season.

Take it no other way, the Indiana Fever condition is bad. But it’s one that Stephanie White is determined to overturn. How? By not repeating the same mistakes they committed the first time. When asked about the five-day practice window the team has before postseason, the Fever head coach said, “Yeah, it is an advantage. There’s no doubt. We don’t want to overload them.” The Indiana Fever was especially under fire when Clark went down with a groin injury on June 24, but returned to the court in just three weeks.

Then also, White had this realization, stating, “She got no time to train. That was wrong. This round, we’re going to be more careful.” Unfortunately, this led to her getting injured more severely the next time. As she went down on July 15 and never suited up since. White does not want the batch of players they have right now to suffer the same fate. However, it does not mean Indiana is giving up without a fight.

The team is already starting to cook up new strategies. “But we want to add a couple of different things. I mean, obviously, when you scale back, you become a little bit predictable. So we want to add a couple of things, tweak a couple of things, so that we have some new actions running into the playoffs.” The new lead guard of Indiana, Odyssey Sims, will be at the helm of all these plays.

When Fever lost all their guards in quick succession, it sent the front office into a frenzy. Clark already had injury woes; they lost Colson and McDonald in a single night, and Cunningham soon followed. The gap was visible in subsequent games, but soon the veteran Sims took charge. On paper, Clark and Sims are two opposite ends of playmakers. Clark is a high-usage guard who excels in fast-paced matchups. Sims, on the other hand, is a more traditional point guard who controls the pace of the game.

The whole of Indiana had to shift from the fast-paced offense of Clark to Sims. The team has accommodated her well, and Stephanie White now believes it is time to add more plays as they enter the postseason. And this five-day window provides the best opportunities for the team to learn them. But what lies ahead for them is a tough journey.

Stephanie White is ready to carry Indiana to the finals again

The Indiana Fever may have locked in a playoff spot, but the battle now is for seeding. They can rise to sixth if the Valkyries lose to the Lynx, or stay seventh if the opposite happens. Atlanta and Las Vegas stand in their way, with the Dream’s defense holding teams to 77.2 points and Rhyne Howard leading their charge. The Aces, powered by A’ja Wilson’s dominance and a 15-game win streak, look just as dangerous.

Atlanta poses a unique tactical challenge. Their switch-heavy defense suffocates perimeter ball movement, holding opponents to 77.2 points per game, the league’s stingiest mark. Rhyne Howard’s ability to stretch defenses with deep shooting means Indiana’s wings can’t cheat inside to help on drives without risking open threes. Las Vegas is an entirely different beast. A’ja Wilson anchors a frontcourt that controls the glass and protects the rim. Yet the Aces have occasionally bled second-chance points, an opening Indiana’s hustling forwards and rebounding guards could exploit.

But Stephanie White isn’t satisfied with just making the to the first round. She ripped into her team after they nearly blew a 24-point lead in the fourth against the Lynx. “You don’t play the score, you don’t play the opponent, you play the standard,” White declared. Even  Sophie Cunningham agrees with her, stating, “Playoff season is just like a whole different season. I know you always hear athletes say that, but like it truly is. So, like you could have the best record in the regular season and like literally lose in the first round.”

White has weathered this pressure before. In 2015, she led a veteran Fever roster to the Finals with a 20-14 record, proving she can guide an underdog through treacherous playoff terrain. She added a 2023 Coach of the Year trophy to her résumé, reinforcing her reputation for tactical flexibility and player development. Those credentials are especially relevant now: she’s managing a patched-together backcourt, installing new offensive wrinkles during a compressed five-day practice window, and coaxing leadership out of veterans like Odyssey Sims.

This postseason won’t be about Caitlin Clark’s dazzling highlight reels. It will be about whether White’s tactical discipline and her team’s hard-won cohesion can turn adversity into opportunity just as she did a decade ago. If Indiana executes her standard, the Fever could once again crash the Finals conversation, proving that grit and preparation can still shake up the WNBA’s hierarchy.