Lexie Hull shines in increased role as Fever continue post-Olympic break surge
Lexie Hull shines in increased role as Fever continue post-Olympic break surge
The Indiana Fever have won 4 of 5 out of the break, 9 of their last 10 home games and chemistry has never been better for the most inexperienced WNBA team. And they close with 6 of 7 at home.
Group press conferences aren’t preferred. No matter what, one individual is asked more questions while another teammate (or two) have to sit through it, only occasionally asked to weigh in.
It’s best if Caitlin Clark, for instance, gets her own postgame press conference. The same is true for LeBron James or any other superstar you can name.
On Wednesday night, however, it provided a high-definition picture of what the Indiana Fever are becoming. Clark hasn’t just changed the organization in her rookie season, but reshaped the entire WNBA and brought record viewership.
On a night when she set the rookie record for 3s in a season — they still have nine more regular-season games — and finished with 19 points, five rebounds and five assists, the attention was, rightly so, more so on the teammates to either side of her.
To her left, still in their home white uniforms was the veteran Kelsey Mitchell. She’s in her seventh season and been through the highs and lows (and mostly lows) with this franchise. She’s greatly benefitted from Clark attracting the most attention on the court and she’s made opponents pay.
Mitchell, who’s in a contract year, finished with a game-high 23 points — her fifth straight game with at least 20 points, a new Fever record. She’s the emotional leader, the one they can lean on for experience.
“She's a special player that now with the players that she has around her,” head coach Christie Sides said, “gives her an opportunity to get freed up a lot more than she has in the past. It's just great. And she's playing with such confidence.
“I think she's the fastest player in the league downhill.”
Before the Fever hosted the Connecticut Sun Wednesday night in front of another sellout crowd (17,274) at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, the team had a reminder in the locker room. They all remembered being blown out in Connecticut on opening night and losing to the Sun three times in their first 13 games; again, the schedule assigned by the WNBA was ridiculous.
This time, now more than two months later, they’re a completely different team. But they had to get over the hump — the hump being knocking off the Sun for the first time since 2021. Being the youngest roster in the league, most of them weren’t even in the WNBA then.
“I think for us it was like a personal (challenge), like let's see what we can do as a group,” Mitchell said after the game. “I think that after this, ensuring that what we do bring to the table has value. I think our 12 can only get stronger.”
All five starters finished in double figures and everyone played their role in an 84-80 Fever win to improve to 15-16 overall and 4-1 since the Olympic break.
Clark had many funny moments postgame, clearly enjoying the win and her teammates. Asked about the accomplishment, she got lost in the numbers.
“It's been since what, 2016 since we've ever…” she began. “Oh, 2021. Sorry, not 2016.
“What happened in 2016? I was 14. But anyway, I think it's a big win for us.”
Added Mitchell: “We've already experienced what it felt like to lose and how to battle and withstand that kind of energy. I think for us it was just about not taking it no more. I think it was a matter of you want to win or you don't.”
After falling behind 8-2, the Fever surged ahead and led 33-26 at the end of the first quarter. They led for much of the game and held off a late charge by the Sun. Guard Marina Mabrey, who demanded a trade from Chicago and landed in Connecticut, scored 16 points off the bench. Punctuated by a 3-pointer with just under three minutes left that moved the Sun ahead by two.
But it didn’t last long.
The Fever strung together five consecutive stops and outscored the Sun 6-0 over the final 2:50. That’s progress for this surging team.
Defense and late-game situations were the two biggest things emphasized by the coaching staff to open their brief training camp in May. There were more than a dozen games last season that they were in until the very end, only to collapse and fail to finish.
And unlike the Sun’s last visit to Indy, not this time for the Fever.
“We had some early,” Sides acknowledged. “It didn't go our way. Just being able to have those same situations that we've gone again and ran in practice, the same situations in games early. We would go in and practice and work on those things.
“That's paying off for us now. They have confidence in what we're doing.”
Lexie Hull Invited to the Table
They know what they’re getting each game from Mitchell and Clark, but who else? It could be Aliyah Boston, who’s just in her second year. Or Temi Fagbenle, who is back in the league after five years away but missed significant time with a hand injury. Katie Lou Samuelson has been a dependable wing for much of the season, but there was a change in the starting lineup for this one.
Samuelson played six minutes in their last game, up in Minneapolis, then took herself out because she wasn’t feeling well. Meanwhile, guard Lexie Hull is playing the best basketball in her pro career.
Since the Olympic break, she’s 14 for 20 from 3-point range — shooting with confidence and without hesitation. She also piled up a team-high eight rebounds in Wednesday’s win to lead the team. She’s one of the best defenders on the team, but doing everything else has been huge for this team in their push to the playoffs.
Heart, determination, defense and rebounding helped the Fever secure this win.
“We talked about our defense and how much we needed to improve and we have,” Sides said. “Especially during the break, they have locked in and just worked to get better. Then, to me, if you want to ask what won this game, defense and rebounding, I wouldn't have been able to say that in the past.
More than that, Sides later said that she’s never been more proud of a group.
“I think 1 through 12, we have confidence in every single person on this team,” Hull said after finishing with 17 points, eight rebounds and three assists.
“I think everybody feels that. We have people so supportive on the bench that when your number is called, when your name is called, and you have an opportunity to take advantage of that, that you have your entire team behind you.”
I asked Hull about her impact, which extended beyond defense, and how she’s played an integral role since the break. Then another memorable sequence went down.
“Thank you,” began Hull, who was seated to Clark’s right on the dais.
Clark giggled. “Aww, so respectful,” she uttered.
Hull then began sharing her answer.
“That's kind of a reason that I'm out there is to try to make an impact defensively. I know I was undersized going in against DB (DeWanna Bonner), and so trying to just be as active as I could and get my hands on as many balls as I could and take advantage of that…”
Clark — who joked last game that she’s 22 but acts like she’s 10 — wasn’t going to let the moment pass. First, she looked at Mitchell, who was containing her laugh, then she put her right hand on her forehead and let her head collapse into it.
Hull knew it was coming. Right when she was saying it, she knew she was in for it.
“Caitlin! Yeah, we’re done…” Hull said, unable to finish her thoughts.
“Oh, Lex” Clark replied.
You need to watch the video, not just from this moment (about 4:35 in), but more so to see the interactions of Clark, Hull and Mitchell. The chemistry is real now and we’re seeing it both on and off the court.
Back to the point: Lexie Hull epitomizes what Sides has been preaching in practice. Or any coach for that matter. Defend, play hard, and star in your role.
Hull, who like Boston is in Year 2, averaged less than 10 minutes per game early in the season. She played almost 32 minutes on Wednesday in her second start of the season.
“Lexie stayed locked in and ready to go when her number was called,” Sides said. “She's just done everything that we needed to do to get these wins and to be successful. She came, got the start and got the call to start, had confidence in her shot.
“She had that crazy three right in front of our bench that was just with the shot clock going out. That's just where her confidence level is. She's got her feet ready. She's got her hands ready. “She's got great players around her that are creating all kinds of actions and she's standing over there and when that ball gets to her hands and she's got a wide open look, she's knocking it down.
“Then on the defensive end, she's drawing their best player now. She's communicating with people. She's locked into the schemes along with everyone else because it's not just that. Everyone has to be locked in and on the same page.”
Hull comes from a winning college program at Stanford. It hasn’t been easy for her being out of the rotation for parts of the season or having a limited role. But she’s stuck with it, hasn’t complained, and the fruits of her efforts are paying off.
And so, too, are her efforts off the court.
It was Clark who spent a week in Mexico during the break with Hull and Samuelson. And they’re spending more time off the court. Clark and Hull went around together at the Fever’s annual charity event, this year held at Back 9 Golf just south of downtown.
So when Hull was asked what’s gotten into her, has she changed her routine or what — here comes Clark again with a smart comment…
“She started hanging out with me more,” Clark quipped.
Whatever it takes.
“I think some people might have counted this game off for us,” Hull later added, “but I know we came in really motivated, really excited, and believing that we could get the dub. I'm just really proud of how our group stayed together throughout all four quarters.”
The Fever are one of the hottest teams in the league right now, a group that no opponent can overlook now that they got some rest and time for team growth.
The Fever now head to Chicago and Dallas for a two-game road trip, then are home for six of their final seven games. Not only are they selling out game after game, but they’ve got a huge crowd behind them — whether they’re at home or away.
And at home, they’re 9-1 since June 1.
“I thought our crowd was honestly incredible,” Clark said. “They were really into the game. That certainly helps us a lot, especially when you need a big stop there at the end. That's huge. It feels like there's another defender on the floor.”
Among those in the crowd: David Letterman, former Iowa coach Lisa Bluder, Olympic gold medalists Simone Biles and Gabrielle Thomas, plus Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson.
The stars were out to see this group shine, continue their home win streak and enjoy the playoff-like atmosphere that has become the norm at home Fever games.
Another Clark Record
If you’ve been following Clark, you know she’s not too caught up in records or individual accomplishments. Especially rookie records. She’s just 22 years old and not yet close to her prime.
She’s going to smash records along her basketball journey, and that included the single-season 3-point record by a WNBA rookie. Clark made one very early in the game to top Rhyne Howard’s record, then she made two more.
“I think the three-point record is cool,” Clark said, then credited her teammates, as usual, “and I think it just speaks to the way we play offense and the way we've been playing offense, especially as of late, fast and up-tempo.
“I feel like I'm definitely capable of shooting it a little bit better. I feel like I've gotten some tough rolls over this course of this year, but even that last one tonight, like I felt like it was it. And it upset me a little bit. But I still feel like I'm shooting it well. I feel like I'm taking good shots, and that's the most important thing for this team.”