Indiana Fever lose guards Sydney Colson and Aari McDonald for the season

The Indiana Fever announced on Friday that guards Sydney Colson and Aari McDonald are out for the rest of the season after both were injured in a loss to the Phoenix Mercury the night before.

Colson tore her ACL in the first quarter of Thursday’s loss, while McDonald broke a bone in her right foot during the fourth quarter. With Caitlin Clark still injured, Indiana currently has zero healthy point guards. The Fever can sign a player to a hardship contract after Saturday’s game because they have fewer than 10 available players. However, since the trade deadline has already passed, they can only sign free agents.

Indiana could pursue Jaylyn Sherrod or Zia Cooke, young guards who were recently waived. Bree Hall was in training camp with the Fever and knows the team’s system, but she isn’t a point guard. Grace Berger spent the first two seasons of her pro career in Indiana; she is currently on a seven-day contract with Dallas, but the former Indiana University star would have a prime opportunity with the Fever when that expires.

There is also the possibility that a veteran guard agrees to a buyout with their existing team. Lindsay Allen has been phased out of the rotation in Connecticut and would be a solid minimum signing for Indiana if she became available.

Without McDonald and Colson, the Fever will presumably move Lexie Hull into the starting lineup and divvy up playmaking duties between her, Kelsey Mitchell and Sophie Cunningham, or simply run more of the offense through Aliyah Boston. The defense will also take a hit without the two injured guards at the point of attack.

After winning five games in a row to rise to fifth in the league standings, Indiana has lost its last two games, against Los Angeles and Phoenix. They have the fewest remaining games in the WNBA and a league-average schedule the rest of the way, but are only two games up on the Sparks for ninth place.

(Photo of Aari McDonald: Sean M. Haffey / Getty Images)