INDIANAPOLIS — Stephanie White knelt down to knock on the hardwood on Thursday afternoon as she was asked a question about settling into a rhythm with her team with the same available players for approximately 10 days.
It was a subconscious reflex for White, who said last month that she had already saged the team for good luck after multiple season-ending injuries in August. And they’re going to need all the superstitions they can get heading into the next phase of the season.
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Because the Indiana Fever, multiple season-ending injuries, roster shuffling, and hardship waivers aside, made it into the 2025 WNBA Playoffs.
“It says a lot about this group, how resilient they’ve been, how tough they’ve been, how locked in they’ve been to just putting one foot in front of the other and doing whatever is necessary to position ourselves to win ball games,” White said following Thursday’s practice. “And I think it says a lot about them that they’ve been able to bring in and we’ve been able to bring in new players, and they’ve adjusted and adapted to them.”
The roster shuffling started early in the season, when Caitlin Clark, who strained her left quad on May 24, and Sophie Cunningham, who suffered an ankle injury May 30, were out of the lineup for a couple weeks.
Indiana was under 10 available players, so they signed Aari McDonald to an emergency hardship contract for 12 days as Clark and Cunningham recovered. When Clark and Cunningham returned, Indiana needed to release McDonald after its June 12 game at Atlanta.
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That June 12 game at Atlanta also ended up being the last game DeWanna Bonner played in a Fever uniform.
Bonner, a 16-year league veteran, was a marquee signing for the Fever in the offseason. She followed White from Connecticut, aiming to be a veteran voice for Indiana’s young core.
But things didn’t work out as planned. Bonner didn’t fit in the Fever’s scheme like she and the coaching staff thought she would, and she moved to come off the bench in place of Lexie Hull. Bonner eventually requested a trade and left the team nine games into the season. She was waived 14 games in on June 25 after the Fever couldn’t find a suitable trade partner.
Indiana subsequently brought back McDonald, who returned in the nick of time as Clark suffered a left groin strain during a road trip and was ruled out for five more games on June 26.
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Clark returned from that injury on July 9, but then suffered what would become a season-ending right groin strain July 15. She also suffered a bone bruise in her left ankle on Aug. 7 during her recovery.
More season-ending injuries followed, as both of the Fever’s backup point guards in Sydney Colson (left ACL) and McDonald (right foot) were ruled out for the year after injuries on Aug. 7. Indiana’s emergency backup point guard, Sophie Cunningham, tore her right MCL on Aug. 17 and was ruled out for the season. Then, forward Chloe Bibby suffered a left knee injury on Aug. 22 that put her out for the year.
So began the wave of hardship players, acclimating to the Fever with just one or two practices.
Odyssey Sims, who is now the Fever’s starting point guard, signed with Indiana on Aug. 10 and had just one practice before her first game. Shey Peddy, Indiana’s backup point guard, signed Aug. 18 and had two practices before her first game.
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Both needed time to acclimate. Sims didn’t score a point in her first game, but adjusted quickly with double digits in four of her next six outings. Peddy worked into the rotation quickly, giving Indiana crucial depth at point guard behind Sims.
“I think when you’re introducing a new point guard into any system, that’s the hardest position, because they’re really leading the offense,” Fever wing Lexie Hull said. “And we’ve been really lucky with people we’ve brought in that they’ve been able to step up in the first games that they’re wearing a Fever jersey and really make an impact. And I think that’s just testament to our coaching staff, making sure that they’re prepared and they’re ready. And then also for our front office bringing in people that are going to fit into the system and really buy in.”
Indiana signed Aerial Powers on Aug. 23 as Hull’s backup at wing. Bree Hall signed with the Fever on Sept. 4, making four hardship waivers for the Fever this season.
Through all of those injuries, trials and tribulations, the Fever still have found a way to get into the playoffs. And they’re not stopping now.
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“It’s taking care of business in this first game, that’s our focus,” Hull said. “That’s the same focus that we had headed into the postseason last year. But I think this year we’re … a tighter group, because we’ve gone through so much this season that we’re really excited about the opportunity to surprise some people.”
Chloe Peterson is the Indiana Fever beat reporter for IndyStar. Reach her at capeterson@gannett.com or follow her on X at @chloepeterson67. Get IndyStar’s Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Caitlin Clark Fever newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana Fever playoffs 2025: How the Fever made the WNBA playoffs
