Stephanie White sees upside of unwanted Fever development

Stephanie White led the Indiana Fever to their first WNBA Commissioner’s Cup last season in her first season with the team. The Fever achieved this historic feat despite dealing with multiple injuries throughout the campaign.

Caitlin Clark, in particular, barely played a role in their Commissioner’s Cup run. She dealt with multiple soft tissue injuries, ultimately limiting her to just 13 games in her second season in Indiana.

Unfortunately for the Fever, they were not able to defend their title this year. This is after they fell out of the tournament even before the championship game.

The New York Liberty defeated the Las Vegas Aces on Tuesday for the title, 87-76. This marked New York’s second Commissioner’s Cup championship.

Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White highlights silver lining of Commissioner’s Cup disappointment

The top two teams in each conference face off in the championship game. The Fever finished second in the East with a 5-1 record, behind the Liberty, who went 6-0.

Speaking to the press on Tuesday during practice, White admitted there is some disappointment that the Fever did not get the opportunity to defend their crown. At the same time, however, she focused on the upside of this rather unwanted development.

“I mean, of course, we’d love to be playing in the Commissioner’s Cup. There’s no question about that,” White said. “But I think the opportunity that we have now to really get back to some of the basics and to work on some things that we need to work on, it’s good timing.”

The 11-8 Fever are in the midst of a seven-day break. For White, this period provides an opportunity for the team to take a step back and assess where they are at this point of the season. The next step is to address whatever shortcomings they may have and continue to improve on the strengths they have identified. This week-long break provides ample time to do just that.

Indiana will also take this opportunity to rest and recuperate. Clark is currently nursing a back injury, which forced her to sit out Saturday’s blowout win over the Los Angeles Sparks. The hope is that she recovers during this break and is healthy when the Fever return to action against the Aces on Sunday.

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