Fever’s best passer without Caitlin Clark isn’t who you’d expect

Jeremy Beren

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Fever’s best passer without Caitlin Clark isn’t who you’d expect image

Christine Tannous/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Indiana Fever did not expect to play most of the 2025 season without burgeoning superstar point guard Caitlin Clark. After she claimed Rookie of the Year honors and placed fourth in MVP voting in 2024, Clark was expected to lead the Fever not only back to the WNBA playoffs, but toward an era of championship contention in Indy.

Of course, that may still happen over the course of Clark's career. But in 2025, the Fever's other stars have had to step up as Clark has battled injuries, the latest to her right groin. Clark on Sunday missed her 13th successive game with the injury, but the Fever rallied from a 21-point deficit to defeat the Connecticut Sun in an overtime thriller.

MORE: Fever's Stephanie White reveals true 'rock' amid Caitlin Clark injury woes

Aliyah Boston was central to Indiana's furious rally. In 36 minutes, the All-Star center scored 14 points, hauled in 13 rebounds and provided five assists -- in the process, tying her career-best with 126 assists on the year.

Boston's growth as a passer has been obvious; from her rookie season in 2023 to now, the former South Carolina star has gone from averaging 2.2 assists per game to 3.6 under first-year coach Stephanie White. She has 28 more assists than any other center in the league -- all while averaging a career-high 15.2 points per game. 

With nine games to go, the Fever (19-16) are one victory from tying last season's win total and are two games behind the Phoenix Mercury for the #4 seed in the playoffs. Back-to-back games against the WNBA-best Minnesota Lynx await on Friday and Sunday, giving Boston, Kelsey Mitchell and the rest of the Fever a bigger platform to continue impressing without Clark.

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Jeremy Beren

Jeremy Beren is a freelance WNBA writer with The Sporting News. A Phoenix native, he is a graduate of Arizona State University's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, and he has a decade’s worth of sports journalism experience. Jeremy's work has appeared in publications such as Marca, SB Nation, Athlon Sports and Vice Sports. He currently lives in Fayetteville, Arkansas.