Makayla Timpson Cements Herself as a ‘Star in Her Role’ for the Fever
Makayla Timpson’s 7 points, 5 rebounds, 1 steal, and 2 blocks may not jump off the page—especially compared to the production the Indiana Fever got from their big three—but she was still instrumental as the Fever attempted to upset the number-one team in the standings.
Stephanie White opted to close a tight game against the Minnesota Lynx with Timpson over veterans Monique Billings and Myisha Hines-Allen, and the second-year forward responded with some big plays on both ends of the floor.
Timpson recorded two blocks on Natasha Howard in the fourth quarter, including one with just 1:28 left in the game and the Fever trailing by four points. It gave Kelsey Mitchell a great look on the other end that she missed. With just under a minute left, Timpson then scored a tough bucket on Napheesa Collier, the 2024 Defensive Player of the Year, to cut the Lynx’s lead to five. However, she missed the free throw to complete the 3-point play.
Still, Timpson was big in those late minutes and earned high praise from White after the Fever’s eight-point loss.
“KK’s been huge for us,” White said in the postgame media availability, per a video on the team’s YouTube page. “She brings something that we don’t have in terms of her defensive versatility at that post position, her ability to leap out of the gym. And she’s just grown every single game, and I’m really proud of her. The game has slowed down. She’s finding her spots. She doesn’t play outside of herself. She is a star in her role, and she’s just going to continue to get better.”
White even trusted Timpson as the primary defender on Olivia Miles for a bit to show the rookie guard some more length on the perimeter.
Timpson has become a steady part of White’s rotation
The Fever revamped their frontcourt this offseason, bringing in Billings and Hines-Allen to replace Howard and Brianna Turner. Despite those veteran additions, the Fever’s frontcourt depth hasn’t always been as reliable as it should be, giving Timpson a chance to slowly earn herself a bigger role with her defensive versatility and athleticism.
She has done that. Timpson has played at least 15 minutes in all of the Fever’s last ten games and averages the sixth-most minutes over that stretch, taking a lot of Hines-Allen’s playing time. She averaged the third-most rebounds on the Fever’s roster over the last ten games, including a team-high two offensive rebounds per game, the most blocks, and the highest field-goal percentage.
The 23-year-old is emerging as a very reliable role player for the Fever. She may not put up big, flashy numbers—although she did score a season-high 15 points against the Portland Fire and recorded a spectacular block against the Phoenix Mercury—but she is active on the glass, makes a difference on defense, and reliably converts the handful of shot attempts that she does get.
That’s exactly what Indiana needs next to its big three of Kelsey Mitchell, Caitlin Clark, and Aliyah Boston—and pretty much everything the Fever could hope to get out of a second-round pick. They selected Timpson nineteenth overall in the 2025 WNBA Draft to bolster their frontcourt depth. She averaged just 7.1 regular-season minutes per game as a rookie and 6.5 in the playoffs. Watching her blossom into a solid rotational player just one season later is a win for the Fever.
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Elaine Blum covers women’s basketball for On SI from Europe. She has been writing about women's hoops since 2023 and holds a Bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism and a master’s degree in American Studies with a focus on women’s and gender studies. She started playing basketball when she was 10 years old and won several league and state championships at the youth and senior level.