The Indiana Fever ended the 2022 season with a 5-31 report — 5 wins, 31 losses. In 2023, they drafted Aliyah Boston No. 1 general, and went 13-27 the next 12 months. That report allowed them to draft Caitlin Clark No. 1 overall in 2024, who led the crew to a 20-20 report and their first WNBA playoff look in eight seasons. It was additionally the primary time the Fever had reached the 20-win threshold since 2015.
It was an enormous enchancment, but in addition a 12 months of classes for the complete Indiana Fever franchise. They discovered what Clark and Boston wanted to succeed, and got to work in the offseason making those things happen.
Heading into the 2025 season, the Indiana Fever now have a new head coach in addition to new gamers to enrich their younger core. They added veteran gamers DeWanna Bonner, Natasha Howard and extra — combine that with an elevated Clark and Boston with one other 12 months below their belts, and Indiana is wanting good going into the season.
At Indiana Fever Media Day, Clark was requested if she thinks this 12 months’s crew can win a championship.
“Completely,” Clark mentioned, and when requested what success would appear to be to her in 2025, she provided related reply: “A Championship.”
Clark additionally made additional feedback to reporters concerning the gratitude she has for the veteran gamers who selected to come back play in Indiana this 12 months. She needs to win for them, saying they may have gone wherever else, and so they deserve her greatest.
Whereas the strikes Indiana made actually enhance the Fever from fringe playoff crew to a possible homecourt benefit form of crew, it’ll nonetheless be a battle. WNBA groups simply preserve leveling up and getting higher, and the groups that appear to face in Indiana’s means in the intervening time are the New York Liberty, Las Vegas Aces and Minnesota Lynx. All three of these groups are led by juggernaut abilities — A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier.
Between Wilson, Stewart, and Collier are 5 WNBA MVP awards, 3 Defensive Participant of the 12 months Awards, 6 NCAA Nationwide Championships, 5 WNBA Championships, 12 All-WNBA First Crew nods, 3 EuroLeague Championships, 7 Olympic Gold Medals, 5 World Cup Gold Medals — to call a couple of accolades. These three are confirmed winners with Finals-level supporting expertise on their groups.
There’s little doubt the Fever will see one other leap in season report this season, and as we get a greater thought of how this crew appears, their ceiling will change into clearer. However for now, the thought of getting to face two of the above groups in a playoff sequence, relying on how the standings shake out, would be the largest problem Indiana must overcome on any path to a possible championship.