Fever Coach Stephanie White Admits One Player Has Put Her in a Tough Spot originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Caitlin Clark’s injury has opened the door for the other players on the squad to step up in her stead. Kelsey Mitchell has been Indiana’s driving force amid Clark’s extended absence — the reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year sat out for a fourth straight game on Sunday — with the three-time All-Star coming up big for Indiana of late.
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Mitchell led all scorers in Sunday’s 93-78 victory against the Chicago Sky with a season-high 35 points on 12-of-19 shooting and seven three-pointers. In three games played since the All-Star break, Mitchell has averaged 28.3 points on 48.4% from the field, with 4.0 assists, 1.7 steals, and 4.3 triples on a 46.4% shooting clip from beyond the arc.
Makayla Timpson Breaks Out Against Sky
It wasn’t just Mitchell who had a big game on Sunday, though. Rookie Makayla Timpson also turned in a career performance with a season-high 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting, four rebounds, an assist and three steals.
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After the game, head coach Stephanie White heaped praise on Timpson’s performance. The Fever shot-caller also admitted that the 22-year-old rookie has put her in a tough spot.
“She’s really done a great job of staying ready,” White said of Timpson, who registered a career-high 22 minutes against the Sky. “… One of the benefits of having a deep team is that if you don’t have it one night, somebody else does.
“One of the challenges of having a deep team is that people deserve to play, but they don’t always get to play. And [Timpson] has been ready, and she continues to get better.”
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Indiana Fever forward Makayla Timpson (21) posts up as New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart (30).© John Jones-Imagn Images
Fever Going Through Changes
It is important to note that Timpson’s big game came on the same day that new recruit Chloe Bibby (eight points in 11 minutes) made her Fever debut. Veteran center Damiris Dantas, however, was unable to leave the bench and was a healthy DNP.
It will be fascinating to see how Timpson’s eye-opening performance against the Sky will influence Coach White’s rotation moving forward. The former WNBA Coach of the Year has hinted at potentially giving Timpson more minutes in the immediate future as the rookie’s stock continues to rise.
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Either way, Timpson is giving White and the Fever a good problem to have.
Related: “I Said What I Said”: Sophie Cunningham Isn’t Backing Down After Fever Take Down Sky
Related: WNBA Icon Rebecca Lobo Makes Demand Involving Indiana Fever Star
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 29, 2025, where it first appeared.
