What Actually Matters for the Indiana Fever in Training Camp—And What Doesn’t
Training camp signals a fresh start. But while the Indiana Fever feature some fresh faces, the foundation is familiar, which makes camp less about building continuity and more about refining what already works.
Of course, given the Fever feature the WNBA's biggest star, there will likely be many storylines that emerge as the team prepares for the 2026 season, but here’s what’s actually worth paying attention to—and what isn’t.
What Matters
Staying Healthy: The Fever's 2025 season was derailed before it even began, as Clark came out of camp hobbled and wound up missing the majority of the year due to various injuries.
This is why head coach Stephanie White has said the team will be smart in how they ramp her up for action. Clark made it clear she has no limitations, but agreed that the most important thing is taking a wise approach to managing her workload to ensure she stays 100% healthy.
In addition, Aliyah Boston suffered a lower right leg injury that ended her Unrivaled season early. She also says she's good to go, but entering the regular season with Clark, Boston, and everyone else healthy should be the team's top priority, so there is no need to rush out of the gates.
Stephanie White's Areas of Focus: Coach White emphasized what she wants the Fever's identity to be as camp opened—specifically as it pertains to defense and pace. White stated she wants Indiana to be top two or three in the league in pace and believes the new personnel will make them a better rebounding team and thus able to get out in transition more.
That will put a focus on new frontcourt members Monique Billings and Myisha Hines-Allen. Billings is likely to take over as the team's starting power forward, while Hines-Allen should provide toughness and the ability to play different combinations. And White clearly sees them helping on the boards and when it comes to defensive versatility.
These factors could also be influenced by the influx of guards the Fever brought in this offseason. Tyasha Harris brings another ball-handler who can push and spot-up, while rookie Raven Johnson is known for her perimeter defensive prowess.
Backend of the Roster Battle: The Fever's roster is more or less set heading into the season. But with Justine Pissott (the 25th pick in the draft) already signed to a development deal, Indiana still has one developmental slot left. Not to mention guard Satori Walker-Kimbrough was signed on a training camp contract and several other players were brought in on non-guaranteed deals. So there is a chance the final roster spot could still be up for grabs.
But mostly, the competition will be about who makes their way into the rotation, especially in the backcourt.
What Doesn't
Caitlin Clark's Reps: This ties into the staying healthy point above. But Clark has already gone on record saying, "Nobody get hung up on this, I don't want this to be a story," regarding her not taking every rep in camp in order to preserve her body for the long run.
Clark is entering season three and already showed she hasn't missed a beat when playing with Team USA in March. She doesn’t need a full training camp workload to be ready.
This really goes for all of the Fever core. Considering Boston is still recovering from an injury and Kelsey Mitchell was hospitalized with rhabdomyolysis after playing until the wheels fell off in Game 5 of the semi-finals against the Aces, the cautious approach is the correct one for Indiana.
And it's not like establishing chemistry is necessary with a group that is already well acclimated to one another.
Lineup Tinkering:
White has some new faces to evaluate and experimental looks she may want to explore before tip-off. So odd combinations of lineups are to be expected.
The Fever coach openly stated how Harris and Johnson could give the team a defensive look in the backcourt. And with depth not being as prevalent up front, it stands to reason White will tinker with different rotations to have an idea of who is capable of playing bigger in smaller lineups that sacrifice size.
Regardless, fans shouldn't read too much into the lineups White tries out at camp, or in the preseason, especially given the top of the rotation is pretty much locked up.
Outside Noise:
A lot was made of the Fever taking Johnson in the first round due to her history with Clark, when the two met with South Carolina and Iowa respectively. That’s the type of storyline that can get overblown on social media, as the attention Clark and the Fever garner make the team a frequent topic of discussion.
But Johnson has already shared her desire to learn from Clark and her other Fever teammates. And Lexie Hull has previously praised her group's ability to block out noise and focus on the task at hand.
There is still lots of work to be done between now and when Indiana begins the regular season on May 9 against the Dallas Wings, but for the most part, the Fever are already a known commodity.
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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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