Caitlin Clark’s impact on the Indiana Fever cannot be overstated. However, with an injury-riddled season, the Fever have had to scramble her replacements. Her first replacement of the season, Aari McDonald, turned out to be a great find in the rough. In her 20 games with the Fever, she averaged 9.8 points and 4.7 assists per game. However, after Aari McDonald and Sydney Colson went down, the Indiana Fever were back to square one. Now, the Indiana Fever have just attempted again to strike gold through another 7-day hardship contract.
Being a 28-year-old rookie in a league seems like a strange thing. But that’s exactly the scenario for Indiana Fever’s latest addition, Kyra Lambert. Signed as the third (and hopefully final) replacement for Caitlin Clark, Lambert is a big unknown for the WNBA. Even her head coach is a little unfamiliar with her. In an interview with Tony East, Coach White said, “We’ve seen Odyssey Sims in this league, and we know what she does. Kyra is a little but more unfamiliar.” However, as she spends more time with the league, she might be able to be a trump card.
As she spends more and more time with the team, Kyra Lambert will get more and more familiar with the team’s playbook and what the coaching staff expects from her. Putting forward the same sentiment was the Indiana Fever’s beat reporter, Tony East. Speaking about Kyra Lambert’s role, he said, “You need ball handling, right? If Kelsey Mitchell, if god forbid, if any other guard gets hurt for the Fever, like very short term before Clark returns, knock on wood, if you can, like Kyra Lambert will play. And you need to have somebody on your team ready to go who knows the playbook.”
Kyra Lambert has an example of what getting more reps with the team improves you. Signed just before her was Odyssey Sims. In her first game with the Indiana Fever, she had a poor scoreless performance. But with just a few more reps in, she was able to have a strong 11-point game off the bench. While all the Indiana and basketball fans around the world would hope that they don’t suffer any more injuries, if such a situation arises, Kyra would be prepared and ready to jump in till Caitlin Clark is back.
In that scenario, Kyra’s lack of familiarity in the league could work in her favour. With little film available of hers, she could be a hidden ace for the Fever’s season. However, till then, Kyra Lambert’s job is to learn about the team as much as possible and stay ready. Having her ready to contribute, especially after Indiana suffered yet another shock loss that jeopardizes their playoff ambitions.
Indiana Fever Suffer Another Shock Loss as Wait For Caitlin Clark Continues
Caitlin Clark’s injuries have made the Indiana Fever’s season more complicated than anyone could have imagined. With just 10 games left in the regular season, Caitlin Clark has appeared in just 13 games this season. In her absence, the Indiana Fever has had stretches of great play and some shocking losses as well.
At one stage, after the All-Star break, the Fever had a franchise record stretch of 5 consecutive wins. After this streak, making the playoffs seemed just like a formality, and Fever fans were hoping for a home-court advantage. However, after losing Aari McDonald and Sydney Colson, the situation has changed. In their last 5 games, they have lost 4.
Aug 5, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) reacts from the bench in the second half against the LA Sparks at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Of these 4 losses, two have come against teams that the Indiana Fever should be beating on paper. After the heartbreaking loss against the Dallas Wings, the Indiana Fever were expected to come out strong and beat the Washington Mystics. The Fever came out strong and held the advantage throughout the first half. At one point during the second quarter, Fever held a 13-point lead. However, the second half was a different script.
By the 3:39 mark of the fourth quarter, the Mystics had a 9-point lead. Though Indiana tried hard to mount a comeback, it was a futile effort as they eventually fell to an 88-84 loss. This loss has some dire consequences for the Fever. The Caitlin Clark-less Fever has now slipped to seventh spot on the table. With pressure mounting from the Seattle Storm and the Los Angeles Sparks, the Fever need to figure things out quickly.
Since there is no concrete update on Caitlin Clark’s recovery, the Indiana Fever can no longer just wait for her to come back. With the way things are going on now, they could miss out on the playoffs entirely, let alone hope for a deep playoff run.
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