With the WNBA playoffs just days away, one of the surprise teams that could make noise in the postseason is the Indiana Fever led by rookie sensation Caitlin Clark. Clark has had a historic rookie season, but more than the Caitlin Clark show has put Indiana in position as a playoff team. Their leading scorer, Kelsey Mitchell is quietly having the best season of her career taking the pressure off her backcourt-mate Caitlin Clark. Another impact player has been their leading rebounder and shot blocker Aliyah Boston who has made plays on both ends of the court for the Fever. It usually takes time for young teams to start winning but the Fever have found a way to do so after a rough start to the season, does that make them a contender?
With a 20-19 record, the Fever are currently the 6th seed in the WNBA and have been playing great basketball winning 7 of their last 10 games with their most recent coming against the Dallas Wings. Indiana's likely playoff matchup would be against the third-seeded Connecticut Sun who they are 1-3 against this season with their lone win occurring at home last month. Caitlin Clark hit a go-ahead shot in the win with 1:27 remaining to give the Fever the lead. Kelsey Mitchell was the star of that night in the Fever's 84-80 win finishing with a game-high 23 points.
For the Fever to win a first-round series against the Connecticut Sun and be considered a true playoff contender, they must rely on their three-point shooting and rebounding. This year, Indiana is the fourth-best rebounding team in the league and have the most efficient offense in the WNBA with a league-leading 45.2% from the field. If the Fever can get consistent offensive production from their talented backcourt in Clark and Mitchell and contain the Sun Stars in Dewanna Bonner and Alyssa Thomas they have a great chance to make a run in the playoffs.
Indiana would likely not be able to compete with the top championship contenders such as the New York Liberty, Minnesota Lynx, or the two-time defending champion Las Vegas Aces. However, for a team that finished with the third-worst record last season, making its first playoff appearance since 2016 is a strong indication that the Caitlin Clark era is off to a great start.
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