“I’m Concerned”: Fever HC Stephanie White Makes Feelings Clear on Aliyah Boston Before WNBA Playoffs

Behind their three-headed monster of Caitlin Clark, Aliyah Boston, and Kelsey Mitchell, the Indiana Fever have clinched their berth in the playoffs. But as the season moves forward and the postseason gets closer, there is one concerning reality around Boston that head coach Stephanie White has made clear needs to be addressed if the team aims to win the championship.

The Fever only have two more games left in the regular season, both of which they have to play against the Minnesota Lynx. So, ahead of the September 22 game, White was asked about the things she likes and is concerned about with her team during her pregame media availability. And while White pointed to the team’s pace and its ability to make shots behind Clark and Mitchell, two of the league’s top scorers, as areas she likes, Boston was a concern.

“I’m concerned. We got to get AB going. We gotta find a way to get her some touches. She’s gotta be a focal point of everything that we do. And whether it’s playing through her and using her as a facilitator, or whether it’s getting her opportunities to score at the rim,” the coach said.

The Fever currently sit at the top of the league when it comes to points scored per game, and a major reason has been the chemistry between Clark, Boston, and Mitchell. But after the regular season resumed following the FIBA World Cup break, Aliyah Boston hasn’t quite been there.

There has been a drop in her production. Against the Toronto Tempo, Boston finished with eight points, five rebounds, and three assists while shooting 3-for-6. The Fever won 103-85, but what makes Indiana dangerous is that their offense can come from players besides Clark and Mitchell. So, when that doesn’t happen, Indiana can become vulnerable, and that’s exactly what happened against the Washington Mystics in the very next game.

The Fever saw their three-game win streak come to an end as they fell 93-77 to the Mystics. Clark and Mitchell both scored 20+ points, but Boston was limited to just seven points on 3-of-8 shooting from the field and 0-of-2 from behind the arc.

Boston is currently averaging a career-best 16.4 points per game and leads the Fever with 8.1 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game. But if Indiana wants to make a deep postseason run, getting Aliyah Boston back into her rhythm will be crucial, especially with the team relying on all three of its stars to keep its offense balanced.

But coach White also demanded more from the bench.

“We’ve got to get more from our bench from a consistency standpoint. And we’ve got to be middle of the pack, at least in terms of our defensive efficiencies,” she added.

With just two regular-season games remaining, the Fever will have little time to address those concerns before the postseason begins. White has already made it clear what she wants to see from Aliyah Boston and the rest of the roster, and Indiana will now have to turn those words into results when the games start to carry even greater weight.

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