The Indiana Fever get a lot of attention for a lot of reasons (and maybe of them have to do with Caitlin Clark), but the team has one attribute that doesn't get nearly enough of the spotlight: the Fever has depth for days. This was something the team hinted at during the preseason, and now that Clark is healthy and on the floor, it's something that's becoming very apparent.
Despite the ups and downs that came with losing Clark on the floor for a few weeks this season, the Fever demonstrated that depth time and time again — even when they lost games. DeWanna Bonner heroically stepped up in the fourth quarter of the team's game against the Sun on May 30, spearheading a 14-0 run that almost bought the Fever the win.
Bonner has been missing in action since Clark's return (the team has only explained her absence is due to personal reasons), but that has only meant that others have stepped up in her place, most notably Sydney Colson and Damiris Dantas.
Sydney Colson was dynamic against the Liberty
Clark's returned to the court in time to face the New York Liberty in a rematch on June 14. While Clark was a major force on the floor and played a huge role in the team's 102-88 win over the Liberty, Colson played her best game of the season with 10 points, one rebound, six assists, and one steal. She was the team's leading scorer off the bench and was the perfect sub when Clark, who played 31 minutes of the game, needed a break. Colson showed exactly why she was brought to the Fever earlier this year, and reinforced the fact that she very much belongs on the team.
Damiris Dantas performed well against the Sun
Dantas also stepped up in a big way during the Fever's game against the Sun on Tuesday when she hit a season-high 13 points. The absence of Bonner also gave Clark and Dantas the opportunity to spend time together on the floor, something they didn't always get to do during the former's rookie season.
Getting more time on the floor together is a crucial part of building team chemistry, and it is especially important for Clark to be able to play well with every member of the team. While Bonner's absence is certainly felt, the silver lining in it is that opportunities are abundant as Coach White changes up rotations and figures out what works and what doesn't.