ESPN Analyst Thinks Christie Sides Firing Could Stunt Fever Growth

ESPN analyst Elle Duncan seems to believe that firing Christie Sides could come back and haunt the Indiana Fever.

Jun 30, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Indiana Fever head coach Christie Sides with guard Caitlin Clark (22) against the Phoenix Mercury during a WNBA game at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

One of the biggest pieces of news that has come out during this WNBA offseason is the Indiana Fever's decision to fire head coach Christie Sides after her second year leading the team.

The ripple effect of this decision still hasn't come to a head quite yet, as the Fever still haven't announced their next head coach (although the consensus seems to be that former Connecticut Sun head coach Stephanie White will take her job), nor whether Sides will end up coaching another WNBA team.

However, during a segment of ESPN's 'The Elle Duncan Show' that was released on Thursday, Duncan discussed another ripple effect that she believes could affect the Fever from Sides' firing: the stunted development of its young players.

"If the goal of every season — if you're looking at Indiana in particular — is to make the postseason, after not making the postseason since 2016, and you also have to think about the development of the players," Duncan said.

"This is now another coach that Caitlin Clark... you're talking about a team that really started to catch fire towards the end of last year, and now they're going to go through another coaching change. And for Aliyah Boston, that's going to be her second coaching change. This will be the same thing for Caitlin Clark," Duncan continued.

She presumably meant that this would be Boston and Clark's second coach in their brief WNBA careers instead of their second coaching change, as this is the first coaching change both Clark and Boston have undergone while being with the Fever.

"You just wonder how much you're stunting their potential development or growth, or at least delaying it, by bringing in a new regime," Duncan concluded.

Elle Duncan talking about how more than half of the coaches were fired. they think that the firing of Christie Sides was very unexpected and strange. and the possibility of putting Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston through another regime, with Stephanie White, will delay their… pic.twitter.com/Eskgams6aN

— LEO (@the22_LEO) November 1, 2024

It's certainly an interesting take, and time will tell whether Duncan is right. But given Clark and Boston's extraordinary talent (combined with Stephanie White being one of the league's most respected coaches) we have a feeling the Fever's development could soon skyrocket if she takes the helm in 2025.