Led by Caitlin Clark, Kelsey Mitchell, Indiana Fever clinch first playoff berth since 2016

INDIANAPOLIS — It’s official: the Indiana Fever‘s playoff drought will stop at seven seasons.

The Fever officially clinched a playoff spot as Chicago lost to Las Vegas and Atlanta lost to Phoenix late on Tuesday night. Now, even if Indiana were to lose each of its last seven games, it would still be in the playoffs.

This is the first time since 2016 the Fever clinched a playoff spot, and their seven seasons out of the playoffs was the longest active drought in the WNBA and tied for the longest drought all-time (the Chicago Sky missed the playoffs for seven straight seasons from 2006-13).

The Fever have clinched a spot with seven games still remaining in the season — a stark contrast from some past seasons, when they were eliminated with this many (or more) games to go. Indiana got close to the playoffs last year, but they were eliminated from contention with five games left in the season.

This will be Indiana’s first playoff berth since Tamika Catchings, Indiana’s franchise player from 2002-16, retired. And it’s fitting that it comes in the first season the Fever potentially have a new franchise player in rookie Caitlin Clark.

Clark, who was drafted No. 1 by the Fever in April after back-to-back National Player of the Year awards, joined forces with 2023 No. 1 pick Aliyah Boston, 2022 No. 2 pick NaLyssa Smith, and 2018 No. 2 pick Kelsey Mitchell on the Fever. Indiana went through some growing pains, which is typical for a young team with a new point guard. The grueling schedule didn’t help, as the Fever had 11 games in 19 days to start the season; they started 2-9.

The Fever have gone 15-7 since that opening stretch and have tallied at least one win over the 10 of their 11 league opponents, including the New York Liberty, Connecticut Sun, and Minnesota Lynx. The only team the Fever have not beaten yet this season is the Las Vegas Aces; they come to Indianapolis for a back-to-back on Sept. 11 and 13.

Clark has been putting up unprecedented numbers for her rookie season, averaging 18.7 points, 8.4 assists, and 5.9 rebounds per game. She tallied the first rookie triple-double in WNBA history earlier this season and currently leads the league in assists per game. She has already broken the rookie assist record, and she is on track to beat the single-season assist record that was set just last season by the Connecticut Sun’s Alyssa Thomas.

Clark is unique in her ability to combine her playmaking and scoring ability — her 18.7 points per game are second on the Fever (behind Mitchell) and ninth in the league. She has the most single-season double-doubles by a guard in WNBA history, and all of them have been with points and assists.

Mitchell, a seven-year veteran, has also been playing some of the best basketball of her career this season. She is on an active streak of seven straight games with 20+ points, demolishing a Fever franchise record. Her quickness on the court has paired well with Clark’s intricate passes, making them a nearly unstoppable backcourt duo.

Led by Mitchell and Clark, the Fever have gone 6-1 since the Olympic break. Indiana currently sits at 17-16 — the first time it has been over .500 since 2019.

The Fever are at No. 6 in the WNBA standings, so if the season ended today, the Fever would match up with the Minnesota Lynx, the No. 3 seed, for a best-of-3 series.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana Fever clinch first WNBA playoffs berth since 2016