How Makayla Timpson Gives Fever 'Different Look' in Starting Lineup
The Indiana Fever debuted a new starting lineup in Saturday's 90-86 win over the Chicago Sky -- and coach Stephanie White would be wise to explore it again.
Coming off an 84-83 overtime loss to the Las Vegas Aces on Thursday, White shook up the starting five, inserting second-year forward Makayla Timpson and sending veteran Monique Billings to the bench for the first time this season.
Timpson made an immediate impact, recording two points, three assists, one block, and one steal in the game's first six minutes. Just 4:31 into the first quarter, she intercepted a pass from Kamilla Cardoso in the frontcourt and bounced it across to Aliyah Boston for an uncontested layup.
KK Timpson with the steal and then the dish to AB. Her ability to read the floor and passing game keeps improving👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/O5ZZGSXvsV
— Ashwin (@Sudharsan_ak) August 8, 2026
"Just doing what the team needs me to do," Timpson told ABC broadcasters Ryan Ruocco and Rebecca Lobo after the opening frame. "Going out there, having energy, being ready to play, and just being who I am."
Starting for just the second time in her WNBA career, Timpson's energy was noticeable from the opening tip, and the Fever seemed to feed off it. The 23-year-old factored into four of Indiana's first seven baskets as the club jumped out to an early lead.
Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell did the heavy lifting offensively, combining for 53 of Indiana's 90 points, but Timpson's impact was undeniable. The former No. 19 overall pick reached double figures for just the fourth time in 2026, finishing with 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting and two blocks in 31 minutes.
"She's been playing really well. She gives us a different look on the defensive end because of her versatility," White said when asked about the decision to start Timpson against Chicago. "I like the combination with her and AB. We just liked what it was going to give us from a numbers standpoint, a combination standpoint, and a substitution pattern standpoint."
Timpson made her first career WNBA start July 17 in Indiana's 110-107 victory over the Seattle Storm, but she replaced Boston, who missed the game with a right leg injury. Saturday marked the first time Indiana's starting frontcourt featured both Boston and Timpson.
It yielded impressive returns on both ends of the floor. The Fever's starting lineup outscored the Sky by 30 points in roughly 14 minutes together. Only three other five-player lineups finished with a positive scoring differential for Indiana, with the next closest at plus-six.
Makayla Timpson Could Be Strong Fit in Fever Starting Lineup
The decision to start Timpson didn't come completely out of left field. During last weekend's highly anticipated clash with the first-place Minnesota Lynx, White turned to Timpson for late-game minutes over veteran forward options Billings and Myisha Hines-Allen. Timpson recorded one steal and two blocks in the closing frame against the Lynx, including a critical rejection of All-Star forward Natasha Howard with 1:28 left in the game.
The effort earned praise from White and, less than a week later, a spot in the starting lineup.
Makayla Timpson enters the starting five. pic.twitter.com/bGVDaOcr1e
— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) August 8, 2026
"The coaches trust me, and my teammates trust me out on the court," Timpson said Saturday. "So just be who I am -- be nothing more or less than who I am."
"She doesn't try to play outside of herself," White echoed.
That's an understated but necessary ability for any player looking to join a Fever starting five that already features three game-changers in Clark, Mitchell, and Boston. There's only one ball to go around, and Indiana's big three will rightfully command much of the offensive workload.
It might explain why White has kept the slumping Lexie Hull in the starting lineup despite Sophie Cunningham's superior offensive production. Indiana needs players who can make an impact defensively and athletically to complement Clark and Mitchell. Timpson confidently meets both criteria.
Her reach and verticality give her a strong presence in the interior, but she's also agile enough to step out and guard the perimeter. Timpson's offensive game is limited outside the paint, but that's of little concern with Clark, Mitchell, and Boston shouldering a historic Fever offense. Good defense leads to offense, and Timpson has the athletic ability to keep pace with Indiana's up-tempo style.
Keeping Timpson in the starting lineup also has a ripple effect on the rest of Indiana's forwards -- namely Billings. The offseason free-agent addition started each of her first 30 games with the Fever before coming off the bench on Saturday. It would be a notable adjustment to keep Billings in a bench role moving forward, though White seemed open to staying with the new look postgame.
"We can bring Mo in to back up the five," White said. "I think when you look at AB and Mo on the floor, it's a different look than it is if KK is on the floor with either one of them."
Billings played just 11:31 against Chicago, spelling Boston in the final minutes of both the first and second quarters and replacing Timpson for a stretch in the third. The success of the starting lineup -- and Timpson in particular -- left fewer minutes on the table for Billings, but that doesn't have to be the case moving forward. There's plenty of room for the 30-year-old to make a major impact in the Fever's rotation, regardless of role, especially with her presence on the glass and improved scoring touch of late.
And there's no harm in going back to a starting group that's led the Fever to plenty of success this season. But Timpson certainly played well enough Saturday to warrant another look in the starting five when the New York Liberty come to town Tuesday.
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Lou Orlando is a Fordham University alum, graduating with a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism. At Rose Hill, he covered women's basketball for the university newspaper, the Fordham Ram. In addition to calling games on 90.7 FM. The Brooklyn native enjoys bagels and thinking about random early-2010s athletes, that is when he isn't penning stories for Women's Fastbreak and Indiana Fever On SI.
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