The team dynamics on the Indiana Fever shifted when Caitlin Clark was drafted. All eyes turned to the star point guard, and Clark was the automatic leader of the side. Amid Clark’s and Aliyah Boston’s arrival, it is easy to forget that veteran Kelsey Mitchell has been carrying the water for the Fever for years. She has been a scoring machine for the franchise ever since being the No.2 overall pick in the 2018 Draft. It has steadily gone from 12.7 points per game in her rookie year to a career high of 19.9 this season. There is a reason she is the highest earning player on the Fever and in the league with a base salary of $249,244.
The squad around her has improved, and she has not only kept up but has rallied the team around her. With Clark out, Mitchell is the go-to leader on this Fever side. “I don’t know, it brings out the vulnerable side of me, the leadership in which I need to keep getting better at and keep growing at.” Mitchell explained after their Chicago Sky win. With their injury crisis, she had to step into that point guard role, and this analyst has explained that Mitchell at point guard should have been a blueprint for the Indiana Fever.
Tony East said on the Locked On Basketball Podcast, “I often suggested that for the Fever to be as good as possible in those seasons, they should play some Kelsey Mitchell point guard. Not a starter, not all the time initiator, but you know, after Danielle Robinson on some of those early 2020 teams, I thought Mitchell was probably their second-best point guard in 2023. Her synergy with Boston, she was probably the second-best point guard on that team as well.”
Aug 3, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Indiana Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell (0) plays the ball while guarded by Seattle Storm center Dominique Malonga (14) during the first half at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images
Mitchell has been flexible with her position throughout her WNBA career. She played behind Erica Wheeler in 2022 and also played as a primary ball handler at times in 2023, averaging 4.2 and 3.1 assists in those seasons, which are among her career highs. While the Fever weren’t at their best during that time, Mitchell stood out as the lone warrior who had the potential to take the franchise to greater heights with a better team.
Now she finally has the tools to work with. This is the best team Mitchell has ever had since she was drafted, and now is the time to take that experience to mold it into that point guard position whenever the team requires. However, East mentioned that it was not something ‘ideal’, saying, “Mitchell as a point guard is like that’s fine. That’s not ideal. It’s not something you want to do more than maybe 10 minutes a game because of something we’ll get to in a second. But like that, that’s the Fever’s best option now is someone that I would classify as like a fine emergency point guard option.”
The Fever have brought in Odyssey Sims on an emergency contract, who would help them cover at the point guard position. Earlier this season, before joining the Fever, Sims wore the LA Sparks jersey, where she managed to average 9.8 points and 3.5 assists per game across 11 starts while playing almost 30 minutes per game. If Sims could turn out to be a signing like Aari McDonald, it would be gold for Stephanie White and Co. Even with Sims or any other new signing, East predicts that Mitchell’s flashes at point guard won’t disappear any time soon.
East said, “I don’t think whoever they will add will take away any Cunningham or Hull point guard reps, but don’t be surprised if you see some ball handling lead initiator reps from Kelsey Mitchell. (Kelsey Mitchell) had a very nice eight assist, you know, caretaker game against Chicago.”
Sophie Cunningham and Kelsey Mitchell took turns running the point against the Sky and made it look easy. Cunningham chipped in a cool 16 points and 2 assists, while Mitchell put on a clinic. In 32 minutes, she controlled the tempo, orchestrating the pick-and-roll with Aliyah Boston like a seasoned floor general, and knew exactly when to turn on the scoring jets, dropping a game-high 26 on 9-for-18 shooting.
“I believe in my team, so seeing these assists go up, it’s because of these girls,” Mitchell said regarding the performance. “We have unbelievable chemistry when it comes to seeing and reading each other. So I think they made me look good tonight.”
Mitchell has shown that she can handle herself at point guard along with Cunningham. But the question remains, will it work against a better team? The Sky are among the worst teams in the league without some of their best players, including Angel Reese. Better teams like the New York Liberty and the Minnesota Lynx will pressure Mitchell into making decisions she is not used to. So, how does Stephanie White look to handle the situation until Clark comes back? Let’s find out.
Stephanie White To Run A Fluid Offense Until Clark’s Return
While we discuss Kelsey Mitchell and her role as a temporary point guard, the team is awaiting Caitlin Clark’s return. She is fighting through multiple soft tissue injuries from the first game of the season. Right now, she is recovering from a right groin injury, which has kept her out for 10 games. Her return still seems to be far away, and Stephanie White has no option but to make do with whatever resources she currently has.
“We’ll have to do it by committee, certainly,” White said. “We’ve been using [Aliyah Boston] to initiate offense throughout the course of the season. So, we’ll continue to use her. Sophie [Cunningham] at times this season, particularly early, ran some of the point for us as well. So we’ll utilize her. Kelsey [Mitchell] can initiate offense, too.”
“I think the most important thing is that we aren’t going to be able to do every play in our arsenal,” she continued. “We’ll have to play a big lineup. We’ll have to simplify.”
Aug 1, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Indiana Fever forward Aliyah Boston (7) and guard Sophie Cunningham (8) and forward Natasha Howard (6) during the game between the Dallas Wings and the Indiana Fever at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Boston’s creative output has notably improved this season, going from 3.2 assists per game to 3.7 this year. Boston and Mitchell have a connection that stretches back to 2023, as 114 of her assists in her WNBA career have gone towards Mitchell, which is the most. The same goes for Mitchell, as 67 of her assists have gone towards Boston in the same period, which is the most in her tally as well. Adding to that, Mitchell is stepping up to be the cornerstone through their injury troubles.
These two can reignite their two-woman game. Cunningham has been a stable ball handler throughout the season, and in that Chicago Sky game. She also played some point in the preseason, which means they can work around their point guard situation at least in the regular season. Sims’ addition only helps, but she might take some time adapting to White’s strategies. It’s not the first time Fever has faced this problem. They faced something similar when they signed McDonald, and it worked out pretty well. White will hope the Sims’ emergency signing would be enough to cover for their losses.
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