It was survival mode in Indiana. We surely expected things to shake up after the Fever’s engine Caitlin Clark was sidelined. But a three-game losing streak was definitely not what fans had on their bingo cards. And just when things couldn’t look more bleak, the same team that handed them an L last week, the Washington Mystics, were back in town. Except this time, Indiana was even more short-handed than before. If things felt bad before, they were now inching dangerously close to panic territory.
Sure, they had a couple of their vets and two from their core trio. But with three guards down, it was bad. With Caitlin Clark already out, the Fever also had to sit Sophie Cunningham. The backcourt was looking mighty empty, and Indiana knew they had to act fast. So what did they do? Well, they made the call. Rhat’s how we got the latest addition to the Fever family – Aari McDonald – signed under an emergency hardship contract on June 2.
She’d barely been with the team for 24 hours. But the pressure didn’t faze her one bit. Aari stepped on the court like she’d been with Indiana all this while. The baller dropped 7 points, dished 5 assists, grabbed 3 steals, and played the kind of lockdown defense that made you do a double-take. That’s why head coach Stephanie White didn’t waste a second before showing love postgame.
Her locker room message was four bold words,“Aari, hell of a job.” She added, “You came in and you impacted the ball game. You settled us down. You were aggressive. Your defense set the tone.” McDonald walked into a crisis and somehow brought calm to the storm. The way she played, it didn’t feel like she was new to the system at all. She just got it. Indiana suddenly looked composed, even confident, something we hadn’t seen much of without Clark.
“You came in and you impacted the ball game. You settled us down. You were aggressive. Your defense set the tone.”
Stephanie White praised Aari McDonald in the locker room after tonight’s win pic.twitter.com/41DTkXq4F5
— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) June 4, 2025
McDonald’s presence made a noticeable difference in the Fever’s offensive flow. After the win, Aari also opened up a bit. “It felt good tonight to finally get back,” she said. “When your number is called, you’ve got to be ready to deliver, and I felt like I did just that. … It made me anxious, you know, just coming in and not knowing the system, not really playing with the players, but it was [watching] a lot of film.”
As she said, she was anxious but did it show? Not one bit. In fact, McDonald pulled off something wild, too. She jumped into the top 10 of one WNBA stat category after just one game. We’re talking about offensive fouls drawn. She drew three in her first eight minutes against the Mystics and finished with five for the game.
Her teammate Lexie Hull, who also had a big night with 14 points, six boards, four assists, and a steal, currently leads the entire WNBA in offensive fouls drawn with 12. So, with Kelsey Mitchell putting up 24 points and the team feeding off that new-found energy, Indiana pulled out an 85-77 win that they desperately needed.
But they’ve got a long road ahead to recover when it comes to rankings.
Fever slips in rankings without Caitlin Clark
What started as a promising season with one of the most hyped offseason haul turned into a scramble just to stay relevant in the standings. The 3-game skid before Tuesday’s win hurt and reflected on the rankings. The Fever, now sitting at 3-4, dropped hard in both ESPN and CBS’s WNBA Power Rankings.
Last week, Indiana held a solid No. 6 spot on ESPN’s list. But this week, they were down three spots to No. 9. And CBS wasn’t much kinder, slotting them at No. 8. That’s a tough pill to swallow, especially for a team that came into the season with big dreams and high expectations.
Meanwhile, guess who jumped ahead of them? The Chicago Sky. The same team that also had a rough start. But back-to-back wins over the Dallas Wings helped boost the Sky from dead last to No. 8 on ESPN’s list. We know that both Chicago and Indiana made some serious moves this offseason and were supposed to make a splash. But so far, it’s been a bumpy ride.
May 17, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) passes around Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese (5) on Saturday, May 17, 2025, during a game between the Indiana Fever and the Chicago Sky at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Indiana Fever defeated the Chicago Sky, 93-58.Mandatory Credit: Grace Smith-IndyStar via Imagn Images
Still, it’s hard not to feel like the Fever deserve a bit more credit. Yes, CC is out. But the grind hasn’t stopped. They’re still fighting. Caitlin Clark is expected to be evaluated on June 9th and could be back as early as June 10th against the Atlanta Dream. So, Indiana’s got at least one more game to go before their star might return to the court.
But until then, it looks like McDonald is ready to hold it down.
The post Indiana Fever’s HC Leads Locker Room Praise For Caitlin Clark’s Replacement With 4-Word Heartwarming Message appeared first on EssentiallySports.
