3 players who can replace Sophie Cunningham as Indiana Fever suffer another injury setback

The Indiana Fever suffered another injury blow on Sunday, with Sophie Cunningham going down with a knee injury. Cunningham was taken out by Bria Hartley during the second quarter in the Fever's 21-point comeback win against the Connecticut Sun.

Coach Stephanie White told reporters after the game that Cunningham is set to undergo an MRI on Monday to determine the severity of the injury. The Missouri product was all smiles after the game in the locker room and was able to happily tweet on social media.

But if Cunningham gets ruled out for a while, the Fever will need to sign another player to alleviate her absence. The team is already without Caitlin Clark, Aari McDonald and Sydney Colson, with the latter two already out for the season.

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3 players the Indiana Fever could sign if Sophie Cunningham's injury keeps her out

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#1. Aerial Powers

Aerial Powers. (Photo: GETTY)

If Sophie Cunningham gets ruled out, the Indiana Fever are going to lose a defensive player and enforcer. Cunningham is also a 3-point threat, so it might be hard to find a caliber player available to sign with less than a month left in the regular season.

Aerial Powers might be able to provide at least the defensive side of what Cunningham brings. Powers is a good player on that end of the ball, and if Caitlin Clark returns on time, she'll find open teammates for easy shots. The 31-year-old forward is a career 33.6% shooter from beyond the arc.

SportsNerdHQ

@SportsNerdHQ

Hoping for speedy recoveries for all the Fever players and think the @WNBA rules don’t allow Fever to bring in someone on hardship contract before Aug 22 Lynx game​@IndianaFever please sign @aerialpowers23

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#2. Jaelyn Brown

Jaelyn Brown (Photo: IMAGN)

Lexie Hull will likely replace Sophie Cunningham in the starting lineup once the Indiana Fever gets a clear picture of her injury status. That leaves the Fever bench depleted and in need of a scorer off the bench. Maybe they could bring back Jaelyn Brown, who was part of the roster until training camp.

Brown is a capable scorer if given minutes, and she doesn't need to start. She just needs to score when the Fever's starting lineup gets a breather. She also doesn't have to make a lot of adjustments since she was part of the team for a brief period and probably learned about coach Stephanie White's playbook.

Mily

@DayDreamThis

The only one you can really plug into that position off the bench, and not have to go thru teaching the playbook etc... honestly might be Jaelyn Brown

Brown signed with Panathinaikos in Greece after she was waived by the Connecticut Sun. The women's Greek league won't start until October, so there might be a way for the Fever to navigate a deal if Cunningham's injury is worse than expected.

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#3. Chennedy Carter

Chennedy Carter (Photo: IMAGN)

There's a reason why Chennedy Carter wasn't signed by teams despite a fantastic year with the Chicago Sky. However, Carter is still a talented player who brings scoring to the table. She can create her own shot, which is something the Indiana Fever lacks outside of Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell.

Adding a player like Carter would relieve Mitchell of some pressure and give her some rest before the postseason. Clark won't be given full minutes once she returns to the court, so they need someone who can create her own shot. Sophie Cunningham played the enforcer role, which is something Carter could also do based on her stint with the Sky last season and her history with CC.

法律

@LawSzn

Indiana Fever should please sign Chennedy Carter. We are short-handed, and we really need a guard.

The only hurdle for the Fever is that Carter recently signed with a team in Saudi Arabia. Chloe Bibby signed with a team in China before Indiana snagged her up last month.