Thursday was a tough night for the Indiana Fever. They lost their second consecutive game by a huge margin, falling 95-60 to the Phoenix Mercury. On top of that, the Fever’s point guard depth took a massive hit. First, Sydney Colson went down with a non-contact knee injury in the first quarter and didn’t return for the rest of the game. Then, Aari McDonald left the game with an ankle injury in the fourth quarter.
Both players could be out a while with those injuries. Combined with Caitlin Clark’s long-term injury, the Fever are now left without a point guard and will likely have to bring in another hardship signee who has no chemistry or rhythm with the team. That could be catastrophic for a team that just found its rhythm and is hoping to go on a deep playoff run.
This may completely change the narrative around Caitlin Clark’s injury
With a string of wins and big performances from Aari McDonald, Kelsey Mitchell, Natasha Howard, and Aliyah Boston, the Fever quickly found themselves in a great position. Not only did they climb in the playoff standings, but the success without Caitlin Clark also gave the Fever the luxury of not rushing their star guard back from her injury. The Fever even could have made some noise in the playoffs if Clark hadn’t returned at all this season.
That has changed now. With Colson and McDonald potentially missing significant time—neither has been given an injury timeline yet—the pressure on Clark to return and save her team is back. It is also unlikely that the Fever will be able to find someone as impactful as McDonald when they sign another player to a hardship contract. Plus, whoever they sign will need some time to get acclimated to their new surroundings and teammates.
There are some guards available. Odyssey Sims, Jaylyn Sherrod, Moriah Jefferson, and Marquesha Davis, for example, were all waived by their former teams. Out of that group, Sims would probably be the most interesting option. She played 12 games with the Sparks, averaging 9.8 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game.
The Fever can still get a few wins
While these new injuries are a massive blow to the Fever, they didn’t occur during the worst stretch of the schedule. The Fever’s next four games are against Chicago, Dallas, Washington, and Connecticut. Those are games the Fever should be able to win, even without any of their three point guards.
Any win will be crucial to maintaining their position in the playoff race.