The Indiana Fever struggled with chemistry in their season-opening loss to the Dallas Wings. Analyst Rachel DeMita says the lack of cohesion is a major concern for coach Stephanie White.

DeMita believes that the Fever were unable to execute their famous on-court chemistry against the Wings, and rather focused on more isolated plays. On the other hand, Dallas had their team play locked to perfection.

"The other thing that surprised me about the Dallas Wings is they were clicking on both ends of the floor.  And the one thing that I expected from the Indiana Fever, regardless of anything else,  regardless if they're making shots, missing shots, whatever, was their on-court chemistry." DeMita said on the Courtside Club.

"I thought that the Indiana Fever were going to pick up where they left off when it comes to chemistry, because they pretty much went with the run-it-back mentality. They know each other's tendencies. Like this should be something where the ball is moving. Everybody's getting involved. The chemistry should be nearly perfect for this team, even day one." She added.

DeMita also noticed that the two primary ball-handlers for the Wings, Paige Bueckers and Arike Ogunbowale, were also able to connect despite scoring 20 and 22 points, respectively.

Moreover, the Wings also had ten more assists than the Fever as a unit in the first half.

While the Fever looked more isolated offensively, they were never far from tying the game, especially in the closing moments.

Paige Bueckers missed two free throws with 1.4 seconds left, giving the Fever one last possession. Caitlin Clark had missed a potential game-tying 32-footer just seconds earlier, and Kelsey Mitchell’s final buzzer-beater also rimmed out.

In a highly captivating matchup, Mitchell was by far the Fever's best player with 30 points. Aliyah Boston followed with 23 points, and Clark also had an impressive showing with 20 points.

Clark had her first official game in a Fever jersey since July last year, following a series of lower-body injuries. While the game was filled with highlight-worthy moments throughout, CC's potential injury scare stood out the most.

Caitlin Clark Left on the Bench with Back Wrap

CC22's third year started just as her sophomore year ended with the Fever, with injury troubles. In the third quarter, the 24-year-old went down the tunnel with a possible injury scare.

ESPN's Holly Rowe reported that trainers were treating Caitlin Clark on the table. She returned to the bench and put a wrap around her back.

"We didn't know why we didn't see anything happen to her. We didn't see any collision, or it literally didn't see anything happen, but she went to the back. Holly Rowe went to investigate and basically said she kind of looked through the curtain, but it seemed like they were working on something in her groin area." DeMita said.

Caitlin Clark played only 13 games last season, as she had to be treated for a series of soft-tissue injuries. She did not play after aggravating an injury in the game before the All-Star Game in July.

Thankfully, she was able to return to the game with 17.6 seconds left in the third quarter. She scored on a nice spin move as time expired.

The Fever will certainly need to manage Caitlin Clark’s minutes carefully as she continues working her way back into top shape.

The Fever take on the Los Angeles Sparks next on May 14, and it is clear that HC Stephanie White has a lot of work on her hands.

What do you think is the biggest issue the Fever needs to tackle?

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Written by

Joy Bassy

Edited by

Utsav Gupta