Listen up, Indiana Fever fans: the dynamic between Aliyah Boston and Caitlin Clark has shifted, and from the sound of it, that's a very good thing.
While speaking to reporters during the first day of training camp, Boston was asked about how she and Clark played together during the latter's rookie season and what fans can expect this year. It took the pair a few beats, but by the middle of the season they were effectively (and quite dangerously) moving the ball down the court for bucket after bucket (after bucket).
From what Boston had to say, fans need to be brace themselves for even more: more passes, more electricity, and, inevitably, more buckets. The 2025 season is "going to be better for both of us," she said. "Because I think initially last year, at the beginning of the season, it was a little rough just trying to continue to figure out that play. But now we know exaclty how we like to play, how we like to get the ball, and what we'd like to do to transition. So I think it's going to make it super easy because we're just going to be able to flow right into it."
The comments echoed those that Boston expressed in January of this year. While speaking with iHeart Radio's "In Case You Missed It with Khristina Williams" she insisted there is "no ceiling" to what th Fever can do and to what fans should expect. Last year the Fever kicked things off with a 1-8 record before going on to make the playoffs, a feat they hadn't pulled off since 2016.
New additions to the Indiana Fever aren't changing expectations
Despite a lot of chatter about how new additions to the team have raised expectations for the Fever this season, Boston made it clear that expectations are always no matter what. The team is focused on winning, she said, "being able to be at the top of the league, and coming home with that ring."
Every season begins with the same expectation, she explained. And while that hasn't changed, what is different is the off-court team that surrounds the on-court squad — Head Coach Stephanie White and the coaches she's brought in, as well as players like DeWanna Bonner, Syd Colson, Sophie Cunningham, and Natasha Howard.
Bonner, who most recently played with Fever Head Coach Stephanie White for the Connecticut Sun, will make an immediate impact on the team. Both she and Howard will bring much-needed defensive intensity to the team, something White has made clear is a priority. She's also played over 80 playoff games in her career, which is the kind of veteran experience the rest of the Fever (many of whom have only played 2 playoff games in the WNBA) will benefit from.
"Everyone knows the expectation... everyone knows that is what we're coming in to do," Boston also said. That kind of intensity could be overwhelming for some teams, but not the Fever. "It makes the practice so much easier because you know what you're competing for."