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The Indiana Fever haven’t felt the absence of DeWanna Bonner since waiving her in early June, thanks to the addition of Aari McDonald. The front office’s decision to add her to the has proven to be a significant roster upgrade, with McDonald being praised by many, including her teammate Aliyah Boston.
Boston used McDonald’s stuffed stat line (8 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists) from the Fever’s 81-54 win over the Las Vegas Aces to emphasize the latter’s importance. Boston spoke to reporters after the game:
“I just think her impact, you see it. Even just looking at the plus-minus, +26. Aari’s impact, whether it’s scoring, whether it’s defending, it’s getting us into offense, it’s making the right reads, making the right pass. I think she’s just been the perfect missing piece for us.”
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Despite only playing seven games with the Fever so far, McDonald has been of immense value on her one-year, $72,414 deal. She's averaging career-best numbers with 11.3 points, 2.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game.
With Caitlin Clark sidelined due to injury, head coach Stephanie White showed full confidence in McDonald by starting her in the Commissioner’s Cup Final against the Minnesota Lynx. The 26-year-old guard capitalized on the opportunity by scoring 12 points on 83.3% shooting, contributing to the franchise’s first trophy win in 13 years.
Aliyah Boston reacts to being named an All-Star starter alongside Caitlin Clark
On June 30, Aliyah Boston received the news of her selection as a starter for this year’s WNBA All-Star Game, her third appearance in the prestigious event. The opportunity to perform in front of her home crowd is even more exciting for the Fever star.
"Yeah, it's super special," Boston told reporters. "You don't take any moment being an All-Star for granted. I'm super thankful for everyone that voted. I think it's just such a great opportunity... especially with it being in Indy this year, I think it's going to be pretty awesome."
Caitlin Clark led all players in fan votes and was announced as captain of one of the All-Star teams. Before the announcement of the full list of starters, Clark revealed her desire to recruit as many of her Fever teammates onto her squad as possible.
“Obviously, I’m gonna try to get my teammates in my team. Why wouldn’t I? That’s obviously the goal,” Clark said in an interview. “Once they come it with whoever is made it and whoever hasn’t, I’ll guess I get to pick and choose.”
Aside from Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston, more Indiana Fever players are expected to be named as All-Star reserves. Fans in Indianapolis are in for a treat as they will be watching their hometown stars entertain the basketball world on the WNBA’s biggest stage.
