In front of a crowd of 17,274 fans at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Sophie Cunningham returned to the court for the Indiana Fever nearly 11 months after suffering an MCL injury. But despite the excitement surrounding the opener, Indiana fell 107-104 in a frustrating loss.

Speaking to reporters during Monday’s practice, head coach Stephanie White admitted the Indiana Fever needed to do a better job of getting Cunningham more involved offensively when she was on the floor.

“Yeah, I thought she was good. You know, Sophie's solid for us — on the defensive end, rebounding, her activity level, her communication. We’ve got to find her more, though. She’s a knockdown three-point shooter. I thought we missed her a lot. We missed her open looks,” the 48-year-old coach said in a clip recently shared on X.

Despite playing 26 minutes against the Dallas Wings, Sophie Cunningham attempted just 2 shots while the Indiana Fever took 77 as a team.

Still, the Indiana Fever never fully involved Sophie Cunningham offensively. Her only basket was a 22-foot three-pointer assisted by Myisha Hines-Allen, which limited her impact on that end of the floor.

Although Sophie Cunningham still contributed with 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and strong defense, it was clear the Indiana Fever needed more from her offensively.

That is exactly why White made it clear she wants Cunningham to have a bigger role moving forward, instead of being limited to spot-up shooting opportunities.

“She’s getting back to being an elite cutter because she’s also a very good cutter, and she’s a great ball mover. So we’ve just got to get her more touches on the offensive end and just continue to rely on her to be that communicator and leader for us on the floor."

Sophie Cunningham remains a proven elite shooter for Indiana. Last season, she shot over 46% from the field and around 34-37% from three while also bringing defense, experience, and leadership to the Indiana Fever.

But none of that fully matters if the team does not involve her more offensively.

Sophie Cunningham’s Defensive Goal Faces Early Test

Before the season started, Sophie Cunningham said the Indiana Fever wanted to become the best defensive team in the league. But their first game showed they still have a lot to fix defensively.

Against the Dallas Wings, Indiana allowed 59% shooting from the field and 52% from three-point range. Paige Bueckers and Arike Ogunbowale constantly attacked the Fever defense from the perimeter, while turnovers and 27 fast-break points made things even worse for Indiana.

Now the Indiana Fever must fix their defensive issues quickly before facing the Los Angeles Aces. Even though Los Angeles allowed over 60% shooting in its opener, the team still has several dangerous scorers.

Veterans like Nneka Ogwumike and Kelsey Plum will test the Indiana Fever’s defense again on May 13.

Because of that, Lexie Hull, Aliyah Boston, Raven Johnson, and Sophie Cunningham will need to step up defensively.

What are your thoughts? Tell us in the comments.

Read more at She Got Game!

Written by

Sauramita Debbarma

Edited by

Utsav Gupta