Kelsey Mitchell wins Player of the Week as Fever rolls without Caitlin Clark

Indiana Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week for Week 3 of WNBA action. Mitchell got off to a pretty slow start for the Fever this season, and was looking a bit too passive after Caitlin Clark went down with an injury about two weeks ago. But, since getting more aggressive with her scoring, she's really begun to show why she was an All-Star just last year.

Mitchell averaged 20.5 points per game, 3.5 rebounds per game, and 2.5 assists per game in Week 3, helping lead Indiana to a 2-0 record after dropping their first two games without Clark.

She's been vocally critical of her performance this season, telling reporters that the team just had to "make unconscious decisions, unconsciously," referring to making pretty routine plays a lot more difficult by overthinking what they were doing on the court. Her work to rectify that feeling is clearly paying off as she's completely bounced back from a (typically) slow May.

Doing this without Clark on the floor has been spectacular to see for a Fever team seeking to form chemistry with one another in the early aughts of the season. With no Clark, it's been a true team effort to get these wins out against the Washington Mystics and Chicago Sky in Week 3. This week is a real test for that chemistry, though, as they face the Atlanta Dream and New York Liberty.

Mitchell winning POTW shows Indiana will be just fine

Mitchell winning this accolade shows that the Fever will be completely fine despite dropping some games in Clark's absence. It's still really early in the year, and it's hard to outright bury themselves unless they would've been losing every single game in Clark's absence.

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It won't just be something that falls on Mitchell's shoulders, though, despite how well she's playing right now. Aari McDonald, the team's hardship signee in the wake of Clark and Sophie Cunningham's injuries, has been fantastic for the Fever on both sides of the court and off the bench.

Lexie Hull and Aliyah Boston have also been putting in major work, with Boston leading the league in field goal percentage and Hull leading the league in three point percentage.

Once Clark returns, it's clear that she'll have her 2024 partner in crime in the backcourt fully back to herself in Mitchell.