Makayla Timpson Emerging as Key Piece for Surging Fever
The Indiana Fever have hit their stride of late. And to no one's surprise, the recent run of success has been powered by the team's All-Stars, specifically the backcourt tandem of Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell in back-to-back wins over the Seattle Storm and New York Liberty.
But aside from the brilliance of Clark and Mitchell, who along with center Aliyah Boston comprise the strongest trio of players in the WNBA, another player has emerged in a bigger role—second-year forward Makayla Timpson.
Timpson has shown flashes of potential before, including a show-stopping block that served as the catalyst for a Fever comeback against the Phoenix Mercury. Her length and leaping ability have made Timpson a tantalizing prospect since she was drafted by the team out of Florida State.
However, up until recently, Timpson's contributions had been minimal and she had found herself looking lost on the court at times. That has changed during the last stretch of games, which has seen her receive increased playing time.
Timpson has gotten at least 15 minutes of run in the Fever's last six games, with Indiana going 4-2 over that period. She has provided a strong presence on the boards, been a deterrent at the rim, and a target for passes underneath in her time on the floor.
It appears coach Stephanie White is preparing her for key minutes in higher-leverage games later in the season, and some numbers back up the uptick in time.
Timpson and Boston Combo Is Thriving
Monique Billings has occupied the starting power forward spot this season, but Timpson has particularly thrived when playing next to Boston.
In their 158 minutes of shared court time, the pair has a +15.3 Net Rating (points scored per 100 possessions minus points allowed per 100 possessions). The Fever have remained an elite offense when the two make up the frontcourt, but more impressively, the defensive rating stands at a strong 97.9. Indiana has been up and down on that end this season, yet they have been stalwarts in Boston and Timpson's shared minutes.
Timpson alone has a Net Rating of +6.7 during all her minutes this season.
Caitlin Clark Sees Timpson's Potential
Timpson's growth has not gone unnoticed with her teammates. She shared the podium with Clark after the Fever's victory over the Storm Friday night, a contest that saw Clark go off for a career-high performance.
The focus shifted to Timpson at one point during the media session, with the Fever point guard having this to say about her young teammate in what was her first career start with Boston sitting out the front end of the back-to-back.
"She's put in the work," Clark said.
Caitlin talking about KK’s impact on the team and first career start 🥹
— ericaf455💙 (@ericaf455) July 18, 2026
“She’s just scratching the surface” pic.twitter.com/f3p1XjcoRJ
"So just really proud of her. The confidence she now has in herself, and everybody now has in her, you know she can go out there and make plays. She's probably the most athletic player I've ever played with and one of the most athletic players I've ever seen. It's fun to kind of see that come to light. Everybody knows what she's capable of and she's really just scratching the surface," she added.
That's obviously high praise from Clark. But it's become pretty obvious that Timpson's presence on the floor raises the Fever's ceiling.
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Robin Lundberg is a media veteran and hoops head who has spent the bulk of his career with iconic brands like Sports Illustrated and ESPN. His insights have also been featured on platforms such as Fox and CNN and he can currently be heard hosting shows for Sirius XM and on his popular YouTube channel. And now he brings his basketball expertise to Women's Fastbreak On SI and Indiana Fever On SI!
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