Fever’s Offensive Output Comes With Encouraging Championship History

The Indiana Fever's historically good offensive rating comes with an impressive precedent.

Indiana Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell (0) and guard Caitlin Clark (22) talk during a game. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Indiana Fever now have an offensive rating of 114.8 after scoring 105 in their victory against the Seattle Storm on Tuesday night.

Not only does this 114.8 rating lead the league, but it has an impressive historic precedent. An article that the WNBA's Brian Martin published on Tuesday noted that only two teams have completed a season with an offensive rating of 112 or better: the 2019 Washington Mystics (112.9) and the 2023 Las Vegas Aces (113).

Both of these teams won the WNBA championship that season. This would seem to bode well for Indiana if they can sustain this offensive output for the final 16 games of their regular season.

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) dribbles the ball while Connecticut Sun forward Diamond Miller (1) defends | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It's worth noting that the Fever aren't the only team that's in this stratosphere of offensive success this season. Both the Aces (113.5) and the Minnesota Lynx (112.7) currently have an offensive rating of 112 or better, and the Dallas Wings (111.9) are right on that precipice.

Still, this statistic and its historical precedent are more about showing that the league's most lethal offensive teams put themselves in a great position to win a championship. And Indiana is as lethal as they come, not only this season but in league history. An 114.8 offensive rating would be the best such metric in WNBA single-season history if they can maintain it.

The Fever's Points Per Game Stat Has a Similar Championship Precedent

In a similar vein, the Fever's 95.8 points per game right now would also set a new league record, surpassing the 93.9 points per game that Diana Taurasi's Phoenix Mercury squad produced during the 2010 campaign.

As it currently stands, the three highest points per game outputs throughout a regular season are 93.9 PPG from Phoenix in 2010, 92.8 from the 2023 Aces, and 92.8 from the 2009 Mercury.

The 2023 Aces and the 2009 Mercury both won the WNBA championship in those seasons, further showing that the Fever's offensive success puts them in a great position.

Even without this historical precedent, the eye test shows that the Fever look fantastic on offense right now. They're playing fast-paced, transition-centric basketball that suits their roster and is awesome for fans to watch.

There's still a lot of regular season left. This could mean that the Fever's offensive success slows down. But it could also mean that the increased chemistry they create would improve their offense further, which is a scary prospect for the rest of the league.