New-look Fever are embracing title-contending expectations this year

INDIANAPOLIS — Last season, the Fever were one of the feel-good stories of the WNBA.

Led by Caitlin Clark’s immediate ascension to the top of the league alongside fellow All-Stars Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston, the young, upstart Fever had their best season in nearly a decade.

But youthful energy and exuberance only take you so far, which Indiana learned when they were swept out of the first round of the playoffs by the Connecticut Sun. Recognizing the opportunity they had to build around Clark, the Fever underwent a top-down rebuild in the offseason.

Kelly Krauskopf returned to the franchise as President of Basketball and Business Operations. Amber Cox left the Dallas Wings to take over as General Manager. Stephanie White came over from the Sun to serve as head coach.

And the young roster was completely reshaped. Only five players returned from last season’s roster: Clark, Boston, Mitchell, Lexie Hull and Damiris Dantas. The new front office and coaching staff had a clear emphasis to surround that group with not just veterans, but championship experience.

Dewanna Bonner, a two-time champion, and Natasha Howard, a three-time champion, joined the All-Star core in the starting lineup. Sydney Colson, who won two titles with the Aces, is now the backup point guard. Sophie Cunningham, who has made the playoffs five times and the Finals once in her career, will likely serve as the first player off the bench.

Youthful and energetic might have been fun for the Fever last season, but the expectations were changed drastically during the offseason. On Saturday, they unofficially opened their season by hosting the Mystics in their first preseason game.

And the changes were noticeable.

Even with Clark out with a left leg injury, the Fever were vocal from the start. Players led timeouts, Clark shouted advice from the bench and seemingly everyone could be heard all over the court and sidelines.

It was a far cry from last year when the Fever struggled to communicate, particularly early in the season, as the inexperienced roster tried to figure things out.

“I think every competitor’s expectations are to compete for a championship, but at the same time, you don’t know what you don’t know,” White said. “I think bringing in players who have championship-caliber experience, who have won championships, who have been through various roles on different teams throughout their careers, they can lean on them.

“We have veteran presence in the locker room that understands the ebbs and flows of a WNBA season, that understands what it means to make sure that your body and your mind are ready every game, to understand what it takes from a recovery standpoint, a rest and recovery standpoint. I think having great resources and mentors in the locker room is really important for our team and then that experience on the floor, of course, and understanding what it takes to compete at a high level, and consistently day in and day out.”

Last season, Mitchell was seen as one of the team’s leaders as she was one of only four players on the roster with more than three years of experience. That leadership role came despite the guard having never played in a postseason game in her six years with Indiana and never having even finished on a team with a winning record.

This season, she’s not the veteran voice of the locker room. Instead, she can learn just as much as those around her about what it takes to build championship-winning habits.

“I think it does feel a little different,” Mitchell said. “I think that’s the obvious part when you’re bringing in so much firepower. I think that the ones that’s been here, there were changes made to make sure that we can get better and find what we need to be our best selves.

“I’ve never won at the highest level, so I’m learning that myself, as well as [Boston] and [Clark]. So we want to figure it out with the older guys, ones that had a chance to win at the highest level…I think collectively, it’s going to take a while, but I think it’s worth it.”

Cunningham showed how different the Fever could be this season in her debut with the franchise. The Fever relied heavily on their starters for production last season with just shy of 80% of their scoring coming from those five. Cunningham came off the bench against Washington and scored 21 points in the team’s overtime win.

Not only did the Fever add veterans, they added depth. They blended their successful core with role players who have accomplished things at the highest level.

“I think this is a fresh start for a lot of people,” Cunningham said postgame. “It’s a new era for a lot of people. [The Fever] have great people that they kept from last year who are young, they want to do the dirty work, they want to win. And then you have a lot of championship experience that was brought here and so just the combination, it’s super smart. Now you just got to put it together.”

It wasn’t a pretty win for the Fever, who shot 30.3% from the field. The sentiment postgame was that there would be a feeling out process, particularly offensively, as they integrate so many pieces around a star like Clark.

There was also plenty of confidence, too, that this would work, both due to the talent they have and the willingness to sacrifice to ensure success. It’s a new challenge for the Fever as a franchise, going from the feel-good story to a team with legitimate title-contending expectations.

But with so much experience, it’s not a new challenge for much of the roster.

“There’s no doubt that these returning players want an opportunity to compete at the highest level and position ourselves to have success,” White said. “They embrace the veteran leadership that we brought in, the experience that we brought in. They want the challenge, right? They want to meet the moment.

“And these veteran players understand and they recognize and respect the competitive fire from our young players…I mean every single player that’s in our locker room is a competitor. They want to be the best. They want to sacrifice whatever needs to be sacrificed so that we can be the best team that we can be.”