5 Ways Fever Can Improve After Wild Playoff Run, Caitlin Clark's Injury-Filled Year
The Indiana Fever entered the 2025 with high hopes, but their season was a bumpy one. Caitlin Clark experienced injury after injury and made her last appearance on July 15—before the All-Star Game. She injured her quadriceps, both sides of her groin and her ankle.
While the Fever held steady without their No. 1 option for a few weeks, things quickly disintegrated. It seemed like the injury bug, especially within the team's group of guards, was running rampant. All of Sydney Colson, Aari McDonald, Sophie Cunningham and Chloe Bibby suffered season-ending injuries.
Then came a plucky first-round upset over the Atlanta Dream, followed by a rousing challenge of the Las Vegas Aces in the semifinals led by Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston.
After falling just a win short of the Finals, the Fever need to regroup. While last offseason was about building a solid team around their star, this offseason should be about prioritizing Clark's and the team's long-term health.
Control the Team's Recovery Efforts
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The WNBA, as a league, does not have a long history of being responsible for its players during the offseason. For decades, the norm was for players to end their season in the U.S. and then immediately head overseas to play another campaign.
While it's still not feasible to ask every player to refrain from participating in other leagues during the offseason, Clark is one person who should definitely not play until the WNBA returns next May. She doesn't need the salary from Unrivaled and has no reason to play in another league.
The Fever need to go all-in on her recovery, but also on injury prevention. Having Clark (and whoever else wants to stay around Indiana) training and recovering in-house allows the team to monitor her progress and hire experts to help her build strength.
When you have a player like Clark on your roster, you need to maximize the time you have with them and go all-in on the resources to do so.
Raid the Guard Market, Retain Mitchell
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Asking Clark to carry so much of the burden isn't wise after her injury-plagued year. The Fever need to be able to seamlessly continue to operate their system whether she is on the floor or not. That way, their superstar can avoid burning out.
That starts by re-signing AP first-teamer and impending free agent Kelsey Mitchell—something that should work within their cap, whatever it ends up looking like—especially given both Clark and Aliyah Boston are still on rookie deals.
The 29-year-old guard put up her second consecutive top-10 MVP finish and All-Star campaign. She also led the Clark-less Fever in playoff scoring at 20.2 points per game while being at worst the second-best player on the floor for most of Indiana's run.
If the rules remain the same under the new CBA, Indiana can use its core designation on her for the second time this offseason.
Beyond Mitchell, the Fever need to find a free agent with similar abilities to score and assist, and this is the perfect year to do that.
About 80 percent of the WNBA will be free agents in January, and Indiana is one or two signings away from being a strong championship contender. Just look at this list of impending free-agent guards. It's almost a who's who of the W's best at the position.
With a new CBA not yet signed, we don't know if or how much the cap will rise over the current $1.5 million per team or whether core designations will change. Still, by creating a solid plan to continue to survive when Clark sits, they will thrive when she is playing her best.
Bring Back Aari McDonald
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This goes hand-in-hand with the last section, as it relates to creating a support system for Clark. McDonald was not originally on the Fever's roster in 2025, having been cut from the Los Angeles Sparks after training camp. When she did later sign with the Fever, she was phenomenal until suffering a season-ending foot injury in early August.
Brought in following DeWanna Bonner's exit, McDonald played career-high minutes and posted 9.8 points, 4.7 assists and 1.3 steals in 20 games. Those are great numbers for a backup option for Clark and Mitchell, should the latter re-sign. The 26-year-old also already knows the Fever's system and can focus on recovering along with Clark in the offseason.
This feels like a no-brainer.
Strengthen the Frontcourt
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Boston is a three-time All-Star and one of the best young bigs in the game.
Yet, the Fever need more depth at her position. The 2023 No. 1 overall pick is 6'5" and the tallest member of the team but more of a forward than a center. The 23-year-old does a bit of both, but the team could use another 6'5"-or-taller player.
Another reason this wide-open free-agency market could work in Indiana's favor: Getting a veteran center who is tall, dynamic and can play either alongside Boston or in her absence would help this team go up against the league's bigger players.
Think about some of the top teams in the league: Atlanta has Griner and Jones, New York has Jones and Stewart, Vegas has Wilson and Smith…Indiana needs a Boston and someone.
It's hard to know who will be available to them come free agency, but players such as Ezi Magbegor, Alanna Smith or Li Yueru could fit nicely.
Take Inventory of Health and Recovery Efforts
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Injuries are an inevitable part of sports; that's just life. Yet, when five players, four within the same position group, all suffer season-ending injuries, something has to give.
Maybe it's just that the WNBA's increase in games without extending the timeframe of the season was too much for players. It could be that players are continuing to feel the effects of being "in-season" all year round for various leagues. Regardless, taking note of how the team is prioritizing health and wellness, recovery and training could be helpful.
The Fever are one of the teams in the league using cutting-edge technology to prioritize women's sports health research. Digging into those numbers, finding patterns in these injuries and seeing what the team can do to help prevent injuries could slow down the instances.
Unfortunately, the WNBA's packed season is a hard obstacle to overcome, no matter what you do.
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