Aari McDonald has made big waves in her short amount of time with her new team. After being waived by the Indiana Fever earlier this season due to the expiration of her hardship contract with them, she was re-signed for the remainder of the season due to the departure of DeWanna Bonner.
McDonald wasted no time making noise with the Fever and even saw her name in the starting five just in her second game back with the absence of guard Caitlin Clark due to a groin injury.
There's no timetable on Clark's return, but Fever fans shouldn't worry - the guard position is the deepest one on the roster. This all comes after McDonald remained unsigned for nearly two weeks after being waived by the Fever on June 13.
Players were being picked up left and right due to EuroBasket starting last week, causing players to leave their respective WNBA teams to compete overseas. The Fever lose just one player, Damiris Dantas, to this but with Bonner wanting her outright release it gave McDonald the opportunity of a lifetime and she is certainly making the most of it.
Aari McDonald brings versatility to lineup
The former first round pick played thirty minutes in Friday night's game against Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings. McDonald finished with 13 points and 6 assists.
In her last four games played with the Fever, she put up double digits in scoring. It's interesting that head coach Stephanie White started McDonald over Sydney Colson, who started nearly every game in Clark's absence earlier in the season.
McDonald brings a much needed spark for the Fever and she certainly doesn't allow her small 5'6" stature to negatively impact her confidence level. In fact, she uses it to her advantage sneaking behind big bodies when driving to the basket. She's nifty in her movement and is one of the best on the team at weaving her way through defensive schemes.
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Speaking of which, another underestimated area of her game is the defensive side of the ball. In her very first appearance this season, she fell in the top 10 in the league in offensive fouls drawn, in just one game. Because of her quickness, McDonald is efficient at setting herself in position to draw fouls. In effectively creating chaos on the defensive side of things she averages two steals a game.
McDonald has stapled herself as one of Coach White's most reliable shooters and in return has rewarded her the starting role over the veteran Colson, who has not been as consistent. Playing significant minutes behind Clark when she returns and two-time All-Star Kelsey Mitchell makes the Fever's back court one of the most lethal in the WNBA.