Sydney Colson injury puts spotlight on this one offseason mistake by Fever

The Indiana Fever’s 85-83 loss to the Connecticut Sun on Friday night was painful in more ways than one. Not only did they fall to 0–2 without Caitlin Clark, they also watched two more key guards, Sydney Colson and Sophie Cunningham, exit with injuries.

By the end of the night, Indiana was down to eight healthy players, and more importantly, completely out of traditional ball handlers. With Clark sidelined and Colson leaving in the first quarter, Cunningham was forced into primary playmaking duties, a role that clearly isn’t natural for her.

And when she went down in the fourth, the Fever’s offense completely unraveled. They fought hard to stay in it, even had a shot to win in the final seconds, but the lack of structure and rhythm on offense was obvious.

If Colson and Cunningham both miss time, the Fever may have no choice but to ask more of someone like Kelsey Mitchell as a playmaker or turn to emergency options.

Either way, what happened Friday night made one thing clear: Indiana bet big on stars this offseason, but they may have ignored the glue that holds everything together.

Indiana Fever injuries have exposed the team's one big offseason mistake

Clark’s absence was already a major blow, but the injuries to Colson and Cunningham exposed something far more troubling, that being that this team was never built to survive without her.

The Fever spent the offseason adding experienced talent like DeWanna Bonner, Natasha Howard, and Cunningham to round out their core of Clark, Aliyah Boston, and Kelsey Mitchell. But in all of that movement, they overlooked one critical piece — ball-handling depth.

Colson was the only true backup point guard on the roster, and once she went down, Indiana was left scrambling for answers. By the fourth quarter, the offense (which had struggled much of the night) was a bit of a mess.

Mitchell's potential game-tying shot in the final moments of Friday night's game was a perfect example of this. The two-time All-Star received the inbound pass, dribbled to her left toward the baseline, and heaved up a prayer of a jumper that never had a chance.

Cunningham, already playing out of position, was gone. Mitchell had to do more initiating, and while she’s capable, asking her to create for others full-time changes her role entirely. It was clear that without a floor general, Indiana struggled to get into rhythm, settle possessions, or respond to pressure.

Now, with Colson and Cunningham potentially missing time, the Fever have a problem. They have a roster hole that’s been there all along.

Whether it’s an injury replacement on a 7-day contract or someone like Mitchell stepping into an unfamiliar role, Indiana needs another primary ball handler. And fast.

If the Fever want to stay afloat while Clark is sidelined, they’ll need to fix the one mistake that’s already come back to haunt them.