Nothing accelerates a franchise’s rebuild quite like landing two number-one picks in a row, especially if one of those picks ends up bringing Caitlin Clark to town.
Clark and the Fever got off to a rocky start in the 2024 season but quickly established themselves as the next big thing in the world of professional women’s basketball.
Even though the Fever were swept in the playoffs, the writing was on the wall. This team would not be a first-round exit for much longer. Having a generational talent like Clark puts pressure on the organization to ensure that. The Fever made some significant moves already, most notably hiring Stephanie White to replace Christie Sides as the team’s head coach.
White has much more experience as a head coach, and the expectation is that she will be able to take the Fever to the next level. The excitement about the hiring was great, but with that comes a lot of pressure, as White will have to live up to the hype.
3. Improve the Fever’s defense
Defense is one of Stephanie White’s strongest suits as a coach.
Her former team, the Connecticut Sun, posted the best defensive rating in the league in the 2024 season. Meanwhile, the Fever struggled defensively, finishing the regular season as the second-worst defensive team in the league.
Outscoring teams is one way to win basketball games, but it is not necessarily a strategy that leads to a WNBA title. So, the Fever’s mission for the 2025 season is clear: improve defensively. All of the best basketball teams are two-way teams. After all, two teams that ranked top five in both offensive and defensive ratings just ended up going to the finals. Some of that is adding better defenders to the roster, especially on the wing, and some will have to come from White.
Her pedigree as a defensive coach is part of the reason the Fever hired her and succeeding in that department is the easiest way to live up to the hype.
2. Get the Fever off to a good start
Indiana Fever fans have endured a lot of losses over the years.
2024 marked the first season since 2016 that the Fever went to the WNBA playoffs. With Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston firmly established as the team’s centerpieces and Kelsey Mitchell very likely on track to landing a new contract, things are starting to look up in Indiana.
Kelly Krauskopf already mentioned on the Locked On Women’s Basketball podcast that she believes the Fever’s window to win a title is in the next five years. Now, fans are excited to see the team she will put together for the 2025 season and what Stephanie White will do with that team. After enduring so much losing, nothing will get Fever fans more excited for their team and its new head coach than seeing Indiana get off to a good start.
The Fever will play the first ten games of the 2025 season against the Chicago Sky, Atlanta Dream, New York Liberty, Washington Mystics, and Connecticut Sun. New York will not be an easy opponent to face, and neither will the Sun if they manage to re-sign all of their primary free agents, but the Fever should be able to take care of the Sky, Dream, and Mystics.
1. Put Caitlin Clark in the position to play her best basketball
Coaching a generational talent like Caitlin Clark is never an easy thing, but White will have to rise to the challenge if she wants to live up to the hype her hiring has created among Fever fans. Clark put together a historic rookie season, but there are still things she can clean up. Turnovers are an issue, and so is her scoring efficiency.
Opposing teams will throw everything they have—from the best defenders in the league to double or triple teams—at Clark from now on. After the rookie season she just had, they won’t have another choice. While Clark already faced much of the same during the 2024 season, dealing with that kind of attention will be a challenge.
So, White’s job is to help Clark out with the right plays, schemes, and rotations. Putting Clark in a position to succeed and play her best basketball could quickly make White a favorite among Fever fans and players.