The Indiana Fever's injury news got worse Friday after it was announced they would be without Sydney Colson and Aari McDonald for the remainder of the season due to injuries sustained in Thursday night's game against the Phoenix Mercury.
Colson suffered a torn ACL in her left knee during the first quarter; McDonald suffered a broken bone in her right foot during the fourth quarter. The Fever haven't been dealt the best scenarios all season long having been plagued by injuries causing inconsistencies in the lineup. It didn't stop them from beating the Chicago Sky Saturday night despite only having nine healthy players. Their next two games are against sub .500 teams.
The team announced on Sunday that they signed Odyssey Sims to a hardship contract helping fill the void at the guard position. Even though Caitlin Clark is officially listed as a game time decision for the Fever's upcoming game Tuesday, there's still no clear date for her return.
Now the focus for head coach Stephanie White becomes moving players around to put the team in the best position to win. Adversity isn't anything new for the Fever as a team this season - in fact, several players have expressed how it's brought the group closer together.
What should the starting lineup look like for the Fever to have success?
With the injuries that the Fever have faced this season there's come several lineup changes making it difficult to really evaluate where they're at as a team. Saturday night's rotation (Sophie Cunningham, Lexie Hull, Kelsey Mitchell, Aliyah Boston, Natasha Howard) appeared to have meshed well together. Mitchell, Boston and Howard have become the big three for the Fever this year.
They've all played consistently at a high level. As for Cunningham, it took her some time this season to really turn it on after missing time due to an ankle injury. But since Clark's most recent injury, she's been one of the Fever's biggest threats hitting double-digit figures the last several games and shooting over 50% from 3-point range.
After putting up 26 points against Chicago, Kelsey Mitchell now finds herself as the league's leading scorer (637) all while filling in at point guard for the Fever. As for Boston, she's been consistent all season for the Fever as yet again one of their strongest players in the paint along with Howard.
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McDonald had filled the role for Clark since July 15, but now with her missing the remainder of the season, the Fever's bench is wearing thin and so are their options.
Hull has been in a recent shooting slump. Up until the Fever's recent game, she recorded just two points in the previous three games on their road trip. Prior to Clark's injury, Hull was consistently in the starting lineup for the Fever where she really appeared to build confidence and embrace the role.
She, along with Cunningham, have been known as one of the team's strongest 3-point shooters. Hull's field goal percentage was 46.8% back on July 17, ranking her fourth in the category in the entire WNBA. Without Clark active and Hull coming off the bench, her percentage has since fallen to a staggering 31.8% with her 3-point percentage dipping by 25 points.
There is a clear increase in production when Hull is in the starting rotation compared to when she comes off the bench. In 11 games that she has started in, Hull averaged 12.5 points per game and just 9.3 when not starting. Her field goal percentage is a staggering 56.3% from two-point range when she is in the starting five.
In the team's win over the Sky, she found herself back in the starting role after the news of Colson and McDonald's injuries. And it was clear that Hull fits best in this position. She finished with her season high 17 points draining four 3-pointers and contributed three steals defensively.
There is no doubt that the win against Chicago displayed the Fever's strongest starting five with the roster as it stands. If Hull can really start to come out of her shooting slump, she can make big contributions and help take the pressure off her teammates.