All-Star snub for Fever guard can be rectified with end of season accolade

Lexie Hull might not have made the All-Star game as a reserve, but she deserves shine for her work on defense this season.
Las Vegas Aces v Indiana Fever
Las Vegas Aces v Indiana Fever / Dylan Buell/GettyImages
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Indiana Fever guard Lexie Hull has been one of the most consistent presences for the team so far this season. While she's shooting a career-high 49 percent from three point range in 2025, she's also been one of the Fever's most enduring defenders. That's been a huge part of why the team has managed to stay afloat in Caitlin Clark's absences this year.

Hull, though, did not earn a spot on the All-Star team for this year. For Indiana, they'll be represented by Clark, Aliyah Boston, and Kelsey Mitchell in this year's festivities which are being hosted at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. While fans of the Fever might consider Hull to be a "snub" for this year's game, there was a lot of tough competition for the reserves that make her exclusion more understandable.

However, Hull can still earn a major nod for her work this year with one accolade: being named an All-Defensive player for the 2025 season. We're still a ways away from considering end of year awards and teams, but Hull is already building an excellent case for being named to the All-Defense team with her 1.1 steals per game and precise screen navigation.

She's also averaging a career-high 3.4 defensive rebounds per game, showing her ability to muscle out 50-50 balls on the defensive glass. That instinct as a guard is tough to come by, and something that makes a great defensive guard even better by allowing them to impact the defense outside of just blocks.

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Despite the teams' 9-9 record as of the Monday following the long 4th of July holiday, Indiana remains one of the best defensive teams in the WNBA with a defensive rating of 99.6 - that's good for fourth overall in the WNBA, only behind the Minnesota Lynx, Golden State Valkyries, and New York Liberty.

Additionally, Indiana's most common lineup - Natasha Howard, Boston, Clark, Mitchell, and Hull - has a defensive rating of 93.8. Their most common without Hull, which includes former bench forward DeWanna Bonner, had a defensive rating of 108.3. Since adding Aari McDonald back to the roster, though, Hull has been able to sit while McDonald also shows off her defensive prowess.

Hull has never made an All-Defensive team, let alone an All-WNBA first or second team, while in the league. If Indiana manages to make a postseason push after dealing with so many injuries to begin the year thanks in part to her efforts on defense, then a conversation has to be had about her inclusion on, at least, the All-Defensive squad for 2025.

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