The Indiana Fever currently stands with the ninth hardest schedule in the league. They still looked poised at first when their entire point guard room emptied due to injuries. Kelsey Mitchell, Lexie Hull, Aliyah Boston, Natasha Howard, and Sophie Cunningham especially upped their game to keep everyone’s pre-season title contention hopes alive. Now, they only have 10 games remaining before the postseason starts on September 14. But after losing to under .500 teams, the Dallas Wings and the Washington Mystics, their playoff chances look bleak.

In fact, winning only one game in their last five outings, they’ve dropped from the top five to the seventh team in the rankings. At the center of it all stand Mitchell and Hull. The seven-year veteran shooting guard of Indiana has been on an offensive high since last season, adding more pace and sharpness to her game. Hull, on the other hand, became the most clutch player for the Fever last season after the Olympics break and has continued to contribute on both ends of the ball to date. But their game against the Wings did not satisfy one insider.

On the latest episode of the Locked On Women’s Basketball podcast, Fever reporter and host of the podcast stressed the playoff challenges that the Indiana Fever will face moving forward. “I spoke about why the Fever win over the Sky was so important because they’re about to enter a stretch of schedule that – Chicago, Dallas, DC, Connecticut. They play the Mystics today and Connecticut on Sunday. The important stretch for the Fever as the playoff race is tighter right now. And they’re halfway through that stretch, where they’re playing the teams with the worst four records in the league. They needed to clean it up.

“That Wings loss does hurt. I get why there’s been a lot of emotional response to it. The Fever are now in sixth place, half a game ahead of seventh and two and a half games ahead of the final playoff spot, which is wider, or as wide as their gap between the four seed Phoenix, also, who’s four plays later today, right?. They’re right in the middle of that ‘home court versus that first-round opponent’ battle. They’ve got to focus on making the playoffs first, and that’s why losing to the Wings hurt so much.

“So, I understand why there’s been so much emotional response to the game. The Fever played bad, right? And that’s why I would start with talking about that game. There has been a lot of discussion about the last one possession. And it was a one-possession game, which is why the last possession gets the microscope. And a lot of discussion about who played and when. I think that just misses the point of what happened in this game. The Fever stunk, right?

“Everybody else had some struggles going on… Kelsey Mitchell was a little off in the field and couldn’t quite distribute the same way she did, she had 8 assists against Chicago, just 2 in this game. Lexie Hull, their fifth starter, right now, missed all of her shots. Three TOs for Mitchell and Hull as well were very painful. And then the bench was dreadful.”

While the distribution from Kelsey Mitchell did get the spotlight, as she now takes on Clark’s duties at the fifth, the last play did give everyone some hope. After Wings’ Paige Bueckers missed her 15-foot pull-up shot to give her team a bigger lead, Howard collected the defensive rebound. The Fever then took a reset timeout. With only 0.2 seconds left in the game, Mitchell got the ball. But her shot missed from 15 feet. While the Fever did gain the board, the buzzer rang, and the Wings swept a winnable home game for Indiana.

Mitchell was recently given the role of a playmaker. She showcased her passing game in the 92-70 Chicago win, where she posted 26 points and 8 assists. But against the Wings, although she managed a game-high 24 points and 6 rebounds, she only had 2 assists. However, she did pick it up again vs the Mystics. Although she only had 14 points on 6 of 19 shooting from the field, she had 9 assists with only one TO in the close 88-84 home defeat.

As for Lexie Hull, she only attempted three shots in 25 minutes of floor time but had a good defensive presence and 7 rebounds. Against Washington, she went 3 of 8 from the field for 7 points and 3 steals. But the effort from the entire team, except for Boston’s 20 points and 9 rebounds, looked dull. And going into the tougher stretch of the schedule requires them all to continue bringing out their best.

Two games vs the Lynx are scheduled in August, and the Fever will face the highest-ranked team for the last time on September 10. With Sydney Colson and Aari McDonald joining Caitlin Clark on the sidelines, the team needs to ensure a playoff presence for the consecutive year. Given the current 18-16 condition of the franchise, securing a safe spot in the 2025 playoffs will be an uphill task for HC White and the locker room. But they have one more hardship contract guard in line to help them.

Caitlin Clark’s Newest Teammate Projects a Strong Championship Mindset

Despite being on a seven-day hardship contract, newcomer Kyra Lambert displayed a strong Aari McDonald-like sentiment during the practice sessions. Ahead of the Washington Mystics game, a reporter asked Lambert about her familiarity with the league and the team.

The new guard responded, “I’ve been watching the WNBA for years. I mean, it’s the best basketball in the world, so I’ve been watching. I’ve been studying. You know, being able to watch it and see it from a professional point of view has helped the transition. The girls, the organization has been great in welcoming me here. Just got me up to speed quickly. I’m just really excited to join the team.”

Carrying an international experience into the W, Lambert can become one of the strongest assets for the locker room. She even believes that her game fits with the team perfectly. In her first official practice with the team, she told reporters, “It fits perfectly as far as running and gunning, getting the ball out quickly, pressuring on defense, really bringing intensity and physicality.”

As a fast-paced team known for its offensive prowess and a growing defense system, becoming a part of the Indiana Fever is not easy. But as the HC relies on these hardship joiners to aid the struggling locker room, can Lambert and Sims provide enough point-guard depth and direction to the roster? That remains to be seen. But it’s a surety that the entire team needs to contribute with their best in the upcoming challenges.