The Indiana Fever worked hard to improve the team’s defense, adding defensive-minded players like DeWanna Bonner, Sophie Cunningham, Natasha Howard, and Brianna Turner. While doing that, they also added a lot of extra firepower. Particularly, DeWanna Bonner and Natasha Howard are capable of putting up big numbers. Sophie Cunningham already proved in her preseason debut that she could be an offensive engine for the Fever and space the floor.
Between those additions, Caitlin Clark, Kelsey Mitchell, and Aliyah Boston, the Fever will be incredibly difficult to stop. They should be able to put together big scoring games, even against some of the best defenses in the league.
It is not difficult to imagine that the Fever will be one of the best offenses in the WNBA this season. They could even break the record for the best offensive rating in league history, if everything clicks right away.
Setting a new record for the highest offensive rating will be a tall task
The WNBA has seen its fair share of great offensive teams, and it will not be easy for the Fever to exceed them all. First and foremost, they will need to be healthy. If all of their key players are consistently available, the Fever should be able to record a very high offensive rating. Secondly, they need to find their rhythm quickly. While Clark, Boston, and Mitchell already played together last season, the Fever made a lot of changes and will have to implement new systems.
The Las Vegas Aces currently hold the record for the highest offensive rating in WNBA history. In 2022, they finished the regular season with a 113 offensive rating and went on to win a championship. They just barely edged out the 2019 Washington Mystics and their offensive rating of 112.9.
Few teams have come even close to those numbers. Most of the other top offensive teams in the league put up offensive ratings of around 109. So, breaking this record won’t be easy, but if the Fever are firing on all cylinders, it is certainly possible.
The Fever have a lot of offensive firepower
Last season, the Fever finished the regular season with a 104.2 offensive rating, which ranked third in the league. Their leading scorers were Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell with 19.2 points per game, and Aliyah Boston, who averaged 14 points per game. All three are still on the team, and at least Clark and Boston figure to get even better. After all, Clark was just a rookie, and Boston was only in her second season last year.
On top of that, the Fever added DeWanna Bonner, who averaged 15 points per game last season, and Natasha Howard, who averaged over 15 points per game over the last four seasons. Sophie Cunningham can also score in bunches. She averaged double-digits twice over her career and can knock down plenty of threes.
With all that offensive firepower, the Fever are well set up to potentially become the highest scoring team in league history, even if it won’t be easy.