The Las Vegas Aces have made it to the WNBA semifinals for the seventh straight year, surviving a close call against the Seattle Storm along the way. Now they face the Indiana Fever, the team that handed them back-to-back losses in their last two matchups. But Becky Hammon threw down a playful gauntlet, warning that the Fever “haven’t seen the real Aces yet”—basically telling them, “Brace yourselves.” A’ja Wilson and her squad will bring their best, while the Fever will need a hero, and Kelsey Mitchell might just fit that bill.

The crew of Alicia Jay, ‪Ashley Nicole Moss, and Erica Ayala recently hosted another episode of the ‘We Need to Talk’ podcast. During the discussion, Erica Ayala highlighted how Mitchell at the forefront could bring down the aces that went on a 16-game winning streak during the last leg of the regular season.

“We saw that, officially, she’s one of the five MVP candidates. I know we’ve talked about our votes, and she definitely was a top five for me” said Ayala. “She talked about in that quote, Alicia, that you just read through, that, you know, she’s been with this organization. She’s seen the ups and downs. She talked about it this year, remembering when people weren’t even coming out to the games. They weren’t even at Gainbridge, because there was renovations, or whatever happening, and nobody was showing up. And for her to stick it out and to finally feel like she’s getting the respect first from her coach, I think that’s also showed in her game”.

These remarks come as Kelsey Mitchell was named one of five finalists for the WNBA MVP award, alongside A’ja Wilson, Napheesa Collier, Alyssa Thomas, and Allisha Gray. Mitchell led the league with 111 three-pointers, scored the second-most points with 890, and ranked third in points per game at 20.2, breaking Tamika Catchings’ 2003 team record. Analysts noted that none of this would have been possible without the 29-year-old putting in the extra work on herself. All of this might not have been possible if, as the analysts highlighted, the 29-year-old had not gone the extra mile and put in the work on herself.

Kelsey Mitchell has been the driving force for the Indiana Fever this season, carrying the team on her shoulders while elevating those around her. She led the franchise in minutes, logging 1,381 across all 44 games she started. Mitchell broke franchise records for most points in a single season and became Indiana’s all-time leader in career three-pointers with 669, ranking eighth in WNBA history. She also set a new team mark for career 30+ point games, notching her 11th and surpassing Tamika Catchings again.

“She’s talked about how she’s worked out, um, and doing football workouts and exercises to get that lateral movement,” Ayala added. For the reporter, seeing Mitchell’s motivation is inspiring, since “her value is felt especially in a year where you don’t have Caitlin Clark, and four other stars that have gone down with season ending injuries that we already talked about because Kelsey Mitchell been that. She’s been that for Indiana, and all of the pieces that you bring in. Boston and Howard and Coulson and, of course, Clark. They’re still working and operating in a system that Kelsey Mitchell has effectively perfected, and that’s what we’re seeing on display right now”.

If there is one Indiana Fever player who can buckle in and inspire others to do so as well, it is Kelsey Mitchell. The same is not just talk, since the player has the confidence of her head coach.

Stephanie White Praised Kelsey Mitchell After Close Win Against Atlanta

Game 3 of the Indiana Fever-Atlanta Dream series was as close as a matchup could get. However, even an 87-85 win would not have been possible if it weren’t for Kelsey Mitchell leading all scorers with her 24 points, scored through 7-16 (43.8%) field goals, 3-6 (50.0%) 3-pointers, and 7-7 (100.0%) free throws. By the end of the night, Fever’s head coach was all praises for the player.

“Kelsey puts us on her back a lot,” said Stephanie White. “We run her ragged, but she’s so dangerous in those ball screens. And I think what you’ve seen over the course of the past two months is that she’s not only a great scorer, but the gravity she brings. She makes the right plays, she makes the right reads. You put the ball in her hands to make plays for us and she’s been able to do that.”

The Indiana Fever led for just seven seconds in the second half! Mitchell’s final points came with over two minutes left in regulation. However, she was critical to Aliyah Boston’s go-ahead basket made as 7.4 seconds remained. After all, as Atlanta let the ball get away from them on an attempted exchange, Mitchell beat Jordin Canada and Brionna Jones to the loose ball. She took one dribble, then, as Allisha Gray was reaching in for the steal, spun and passed it back to Odyssey Sims on the wing. Sims threw the ball to Boston, who flung a pass over the defense to set up the go-ahead score.

“The hustle play by Kelsey to keep the ball alive, then O to be able to see AB loose was huge,” White added, “And then the finish.”

Do you believe Kelsey Mitchell, standing as a ray of inspiration, can guide the Indiana Fever through the defense of the 2x WNBA champions? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section down below.