The Indiana Fever began the 2025 WNBA season with the hopes of making it big this year, after they ended the 2024 season with their first playoff appearance in nearly a decade. Combined with exciting offseason additions in DeWanna Bonner, Natasha Howard, and Sophie Cunningham, it was natural that fans expected a big leap from them. However, a constant barrage of injuries to Caitlin Clark and others, especially at the guard position, has left their season on the brink of epic disappointment. 

After Clark’s injury against the Connecticut Sun, Indiana’s season seemed to be over. However, a surprising run of wins led by their ‘MVP’ Kelsey Mitchell reignited the hopes. Alas, in just a single game against the Phoenix Mercury, they faced yet another injury setback. This time around, they lost both Aari McDonald and Sydney Colson for the rest of the year. Flash forward to now, and they are hanging on to the playoff spots by a thread. And now, with Caitlin Clark finally starting to participate in team activities, there is another dilemma ahead for the Indiana Fever, as per a WNBA insider.

After the Indiana Fever’s recent loss against the Minnesota Lynx, WNBA insider Robin Lundberg gave his thoughts on Indiana’s future and Caitlin Clark’s return. He said, “I mean, look, it wasn’t an accident that they showed Caitlin Clark at the open portion of media practice that she was in there. I think that’s intentional to signal that she is ramping up and should be making a return soon. But is there time in the standings for that to happen? That’s another question.” 

Before the game against the Lynx, Caitlin Clark participated in a shoot-around with Indiana’s second team. However, head coach Stephanie White clearly said that she was just doing minor work and is not back in practice. Participating in a team practice is generally a sign of imminent return, since Caitlin still has to do that, it is safe to assume that there is still some time before we see her on the court. But, even if she is able to come back soon, will the Indiana Fever be able to stand till she is back? 

Continuing his analysis of Fever’s dilemma, Lundberg said, “Indiana now, 19 and 18. They fall to eighth after this game. Seattle almost lost today, but didn’t. Golden State won also so the pass Indiana via a tiebreaker. And you see the Sparks just a game back.” After two consecutive losses against the Minnesota Lynx, the Fever are not on the edge of playoff spots. Their next four games can make or break their 2025 season. 

Next, they are up against the Seattle Storm, who are just .5 games ahead of the Fever. Although the Storm are on a three-game win streak, this season, Indiana has won both their prior matchups. After the Storm, the Fever are up against their kryptonite this year, the Los Angeles Sparks. Even before the Sparks were at a respectable position in the table (9th currently), the Fever could not beat them. Since the Fever has already lost the tie-breaker, it is vital to win this game. After that, they are up against the Golden State Valkyries and Phoenix Mercury. 

With how close their records are, it is very likely that a tie-breaker could come into play. However, with Indiana already losing their season series against the Valkyries, a win is important to make sure it ends the season with a better record than them. After their visit to “Ballhalla”, the Fever will visit the Phoenix Mercury. Thanks to the DeWanna Bonner saga, the Indiana Fever and Phoenix Mercury have already had a fierce rivalry this season. However, considering what happened the last time the Indiana Fever visited Phoenix, they would want to heal the old wounds and leave the arena with a vital win.

Although their task is very hard on paper, as per Robin Lundberg, the Indiana Fever can get through to the playoffs if they can win three out of their next seven games. Giving a preview for the rest of the season, he said, “I still think three out of wins out of those seven gets the Fever in (the playoffs). But, every L makes that margin for error more and more slim.” While the Fever are still in a position to make the playoffs, they need to fix a problem that has continued to plague them throughout this season. 

Indiana Fever’s Troubling Trend Continues as Caitlin Clark Makes Progress in Recovery

Up against the Minnesota Lynx for the second consecutive game, the Indiana Fever came into the game with a stroke of good news. The first, Caitlin Clark’s participation in a portion of team activities. And the second, finally, some luck in terms of injuries as Odyssey Sims’ groin injury turned out to be a false alarm, and she was available for the game. With Napheesa Collier ready to suit up for the game, they needed all the help they could get. 

As the game began, it seemed like they might ride the momentum and pull off a major heist. However, as the first half was winding down, the Fever let their old bad habits come back. In a trend Indiana Fever fans have witnessed so many times before, Minnesota went on an 11-0 run, and their 4-point lead turned into a 7-point deficit. From then on, all momentum went away, and the Fever lost an important game. 

The game was not just an important one for the Indiana Fever. It was also an important opportunity for Kelsey Mitchell to go head-to-head against the MVP favorite, Napheesa Collier, and make her mark in the MVP race. While she did perform well and finished with 26 points, Collier also had an even better game and scored 32 points. With A’ja Wilson leading the Las Vegas Aces to a 10-game win streak, and with Collier back like she never left, Kelsey Mitchell’s chances of winning the award seem to be even slimmer than they were before. 

But at the end of the day, Kelsey herself would agree that team success is always more important than individual accolades. As Caitlin Clark makes progress in her return, the Indiana Fever needs to pull together and get enough wins to make the playoffs as high on the league table as possible.