Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White gave star Aliyah Boston credit for her strong play despite the absense of Caitlin Clark with the Fever two games from the WNBA finals
Fever coach Stephanie White speaks with star Aliyah Boston(Image: Getty Images)
The Indiana Fever have impressively reached the semifinals of the WNBA playoffs without the services of the injured Caitlin Clark, the league’s 2024 Rookie of the Year.
Kelsey Mitchell has stepped up her game in the post-Clark scoring vacuum, averaging a team-best 23.4 points across three games against the Atlanta Dream and two against the Las Vegas Aces.
Head coach Stephanie White named 2023 first-overall pick Aliyah Boston — who has seen her scoring average drop from over 15.0 a game during the regular season to under 11 a night in the postseason — as the Fever player most impacted by the absence of Clark, primarily on the offensive end. Still, White gave Boston a tremendous amount of credit.
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“Aliyah Boston has been a rock for us. She’s just steady. She’s probably been the one player who is most affected by all the changes that we’ve had,” White told Kristina Williams on the ‘In Case You Missed it’ podcast.
“I mean, most of our change has been primary ball handlers. And so the way that she gets the ball, the way that she gets touches, the spacing on the floor that is created with those players who are now on the sideline.”
“She continues to do anything and everything that we’ve asked her to do. Be a facilitator, be a scorer, be an elite defender, be a rebounder. And it looks different every single night.”
Boston has been a two-way force in the playoffs(Image: Getty Images)
Boston averaged 15.0 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 3.7 assists on 53.8 percent across the regular season.
In five playoff games, she’s averaging 1.06 points and 10.6 rebounds, highlighted by a 14-point, 12-rebound showing in a decisive Game 3 win over the Atlanta Dream.
Clark has been sidelined since July 16 with a right groin injury.
Though she eventually returned to practice, a bone bruise during an attempt to return has kept her out indefinitely.
Clark is far from the only key player missing for the Fever: she is joined by Sophie Cunningham, Aari McDonald, and Sydney Colson on the sidelines.
The injuries to several guards have opened up playing time for Odyssey Sims and Lexie Hull. The former is Indiana’s second-leading playoff scorer at 12.3 points a night.
The Fever won the opening game of their semifinal series against the Las Vegas Aces on the road before getting blown out in Game 2.
The series now returns to the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indiana on Friday night. Game 4 will be played Sunday afternoon and broadcast on ABC.