Sue Bird’s strong Aliyah Boston assessment bodes well for Fever

The Indiana Fever have a lot to be excited about when it comes to their 24-year-old center Aliyah Boston.

Boston is fresh off a successful 2025 campaign where she earned all-WNBA honors for the first time in her three-year pro career. The former No. 1 overall pick (2023) carried that momentum into Women’s National Team Training Camp in December and continues to impress in the Unrivaled women’s basketball league.

She’s even drawn the eye of Women’s Basketball Hall of Famer Sue Bird.

“Who really stands out to me is Aliyah Boston,” Bird said in a Jan. 2 episode of her Bird’s Eye View podcast, ahead of Unrivaled’s season-opener. “Aliyah Boston looks great right now. She looked great in USA camp. She’s now really found her game.”

So far, the Fever big has backed up Bird’s praise. Through three games in the 3-on-3 league, Boston is just shy of a double-double, posting 16.3 points and 9.7 rebounds in roughly 15 minutes per game. She ranks 13th league-wide in scoring and fourth in rebounds.

But perhaps most impressive for the 6-foot-5 center is her proficiency as a distributor. Boston is averaging 3.3 assists in Unrivaled this season, which ranks second among forwards.

“[She] just has a confidence about, ‘this is what I do, and I’m gonna be great at these things,'” Bird noted. “And one of those things is playmaking.”

That skill isn’t exclusive to 3-on-3 play. Boston set a career-high in assists (3.7 per game) with the Fever in 2025. It tied Angel Reese for third among WNBA forwards; only Alyssa Thomas (9.2) and Gabby Williams (4.2) averaged more.

Of course, it’s also a welcome asset for a 2-1 Phantom BC team that boasts plenty of guard talent in Kelsey Plum, Tiffany Hayes, Dana Evans, and Natasha Cloud.

“If you can have a post player in 3-on-3 who can playmake, I mean, it’s so hard to guard guards as it is because the floor is so open,” Bird explained. “To have a post player who can make the pass, that’s going to be so helpful to the Plum’s, the ‘Tip’ Hayes’, the Dana Evans’.”

Fever fans are well aware of Boston’s impact, particularly as it pertains to star point guard Caitlin Clark. Boston and Clark have proven a deadly pairing — and a mutually beneficial one at that. Indiana can sometimes lean too heavily on Clark’s shot-making, but the offense clicks when Boston and Clark are creating for each other.

New Aliyah Boston skill could ‘help her for years to come’

Adept playmaking is nothing new for Boston. But if her early work in Unrivaled is any indication, the three-time All-Star may be seeking to expand her skillset.

Boston turned heads on Saturday, when she went 3-for-5 from long range in a 94-60 win over the Lunar Owls.

Indiana’s center is a career 26.2% three-point shooter on 65 attempts in the WNBA. She has never attempted more than two threes in a single game across 134 regular-season or postseason contests.

Boston only attempted two three-pointers during Unrivaled’s inaugural season in 2025. Yet Bird predicted that she might explore the three-point shot more in season No. 2.

“For Aliyah, especially, just naturally the way 3-on-3 works out, she will get open at the three-point line,” Bird explained in her Unrivaled season preview. “And I think if she adds that to her game in general, that’s gonna help her for years to come.”

It would be far too hasty to herald Boston as a sharpshooter, especially after just three games. After all, she’s just 3-for-7 on the season and didn’t attempt a shot from distance in her latest contest against Mist BC on Monday.

Plus, an offseason league like Unrivaled affords more space to experiment offensively — both in a literal and creative sense. There’s no guarantee it will translate to 5-on-5 in the WNBA.

“There are some things that are easier at 5-on-5 that are harder at 3-on-3. There are some things that are easier at 3-on-3 that are harder at 5-on-5,” noted Bird. “It’s just so different.”

Still, it’s hard not to dream about Boston adding another layer to her game, and what it would do for the Fever moving forward. If there’s one thing Indiana has lacked in recent seasons, it’s a reliable stretch big.

That’s what made the midseason addition of 27-year-old rookie Chloe Bibby so noteworthy. Bibby shot 39.1% from distance with Indiana in 2025 and became the first Fever forward to average at least one made three-pointer per game since NaLyssa Smith in 2022. Unfortunately, a season-ending knee injury limited her to just nine games with the team, leaving her sidelined beyond Aug. 17.

Of course, should Boston hone her three-point shot, she would easily eclipse Bibby’s impact simply by virtue of her role. Bibby was limited to a bench role with the Fever, averaging 9.8 minutes per contest, in part due to some concerns on the defensive end. In contrast, Boston is an All-WNBA defender who anchors Indiana in the paint. She’s started every game of her pro career, never dipping below 30 minutes per game in a season.

If Boston could develop into a respectable three-point shooter, it would open up a world of possibilities on offense, especially with Clark under contract for at least one more season. Indiana has run a five-out offense with some of its small-ball lineups, but the allure of doing the same with the 6-foot-5 Boston is no doubt tantalizing.

Granted, getting Boston to that level is easier said than done.

“When you are adding something new, I don’t care who you are, when you’re at that beginning point, it is so hard and frustrating cause you are messing up, you are making mistakes,” Bird explained. “Let’s say you’re working on a certain shot — you’re going to miss more than you make. As a competitor and as an athlete, it can be really hard to overlook it and not let it bother you.”

Then again, Boston already boasts a dynamic skillset. It shouldn’t come as a surprise if she finds a way to reach new heights in future seasons.