The best is yet to come for Fever after first round playoff exit

The Indiana Fever’s magical 2024 season came to an end on Wednesday night at the hands of the Connecticut Sun. The Fever’s first round exit from the 2024 WNBA playoffs marked the official end of what was a remarkable and historic campaign for the team.

After losing game one of the series by 24 points, the Fever hung around with the three-seeded Sun in game two of the opening round series. Both teams traded runs back and forth deep into the second half before the experience of Connecticut took over, bouncing Indiana from the postseason.

Despite the swift first round boot delivered by the Sun, the Fever’s 2024 season was nothing short of spectacular. Entering the season, the Fever had won single-digit games in five of the last six seasons. Just two years ago, Indiana won just five games.

However, in 2024, the Fever won 20 games – more than each of the last two seasons combined – en route to a third-place finish in the WNBA’s Eastern Conference. Despite Indiana’s first postseason appearance since 2016 being rather short-lived, this past season the Fever showed glimpses of why they can be a contender in the WNBA for years to come.

Things really changed this past offseason when the Fever landed the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft. It was the second season in a row Indiana would be selecting first. Getting the first overall pick in this year’s draft wasn’t like any normal year. That’s because the top player in the draft was none other than Iowa star Caitlin Clark.

As soon as Clark stepped on the floor for the Fever, there was something different about the club. It didn’t show up in results right away, the Fever lost eight of their first nine games of the season, yet once things began to click for Clark, Indiana took off.

On top of guiding the Fever back to the playoffs for the first time in nearly a decade, Clark averaged 19.2 points, 8.4 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game, putting together one of the most impressive rookie seasons the sport has ever seen. Clark was the unanimous winner of the WNBA’s Rookie of the Year Award, and she finished fourth in the MVP voting.

Clark has quickly cemented herself as one of the best players in the WNBA. She’ll be the face of the league for the next decade, and only time will tell how far she can take her Fever in the next couple of years. However, it’s not just a one-woman show in Indiana. Clark had plenty of help this season too.

The other cornerstone of the Fever’s future, Aliyah Boston, was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 WNBA Draft. Boston made her presence felt in the league quickly a season ago, winning rookie of the year and starting the All-Star game – the latter of which both Clark and Boston accomplished once again in 2024.

The South Carolina products talent and production on both ends of the floor, along with her team-first attitude, make her the perfect compliments next to Clark for Indiana. Boston has asserted herself as one of the premier young players in the WNBA, one who—along with Clark—can lead the Fever to heights they haven’t seen since Tamika Catchings was on the team.

Every young team needs a veteran to help keep the ship afloat when things aren’t going well. For this Fever team, that veteran was Kelsey Mitchell. Mitchell averaged 19.2 points per game this past season in Indiana, while shooting 40.2% from 3-point range. Now a seven-year veteran of the league, Mitchell is as important of a piece as any on this Fever roster. As she gets set to hit unrestricted free agency this offseason, the Fever must look at bring back the former Ohio State Buckeye.

Elsewhere on the roster, decisions will have to be made. Former No. 2 overall pick NaLyssa Smith may have played her last game in a Fever uniform on Wednesday night, and veteran guard Erica Wheeler is also set to hit unrestricted free agency this offseason. With two cornerstone players in Clark and Boston, the Fever must now work towards building a solid supporting cast around their two stars.

For the Fever, the 2024 season can be seen as a steppingstone. Indiana has gone from a team perennially picking at the top of the draft, to now a real threat in the WNBA’s Eastern Conference.

The first-round loss to the Sun is a good reminder that there is still plenty of work to be done for the Fever. Nonetheless, the future Is bright in Indiana, and if this past season was any indication, it won’t be long before the Fever are competing for a WNBA title.