Sophie Cunningham was candid when asked about navigating the early-season challenges the Indiana Fever have faced. She claimed that the team is disliked around the league, which makes it important for her and her teammates to stick together.“We are circled on everybody’s schedule," Cunningham said on Thursday (03:00). "No one likes us, right? So, everyone in our locker room, that’s the only type of people that we have and that we can lean on. And I think that we've kind of wavered a little bit on that."We have our own islands, but you know, as one of the leaders on the team, I got to do a better job of grouping people, right?”Cunningham’s claim that the Fever are disliked could be disputed; however, the team has seen its fair share of problems this season. Five games into the campaign, Indiana lost Cunningham, Caitlin Clark and Sydney Colson to injuries. It forced the team to sign Aari McDonald to a hardship contract.Things got worse as DeWanna Bonner began to pull out of games and was eventually waived on Wednesday. Clark is also experiencing the worst shooting slump of her career, going 1-for-23 from 3-point range over her last three games. She is now sidelined with a groin injury.Cunningham advocating for more tightness in the locker room comes at a crucial time. If the Fever don’t stick together, this rough patch could lead to their season ending early.The Indiana Fever are in a similar position as last season, despite adding Sophie Cunningham and more to the rosterLast season, the Indiana Fever were eighth in the WNBA with a 5-10 record through 15 games. They added plenty of talent to their roster for this campaign, but are stuck at 7-8 and ninth in the league.The team was considered a title contender following the addition of DeWanna Bonner, Natasha Howard and Sophie Cunningham.However, the Fever's offseason moves haven't borne fruit, and they are also dealing with injuries to key players.