Fever star gets snubbed.
Indiana Fever Star Sees Hot Streak Amid Caitlin Clark's Absence Overlooked for WNBA Award originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
On Monday, the WNBA officially named New York Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu its Eastern Conference Player of the Month and Napheesa Collier of the Minnesota Lynx its Western Conference Player of the Month for July.
For Ionescu, it was a well-deserved honor for someone who led all players in the conference in points and assists and totaled 55 rebounds and 66 assists over a 10-game stretch, making her the only Eastern Conference player to record more than 50 rebounds and 50 assists during the month.
However, there’s a compelling counter‐narrative brewing in Indiana: Kelsey Mitchell arguably put up numbers that were every bit as impressive (if not more so) and carried the Indiana Fever through a critical stretch while taking on an expanded role with Caitlin Clark sidelined.
🏀 @Kia Players of the Month 🏀
— WNBA (@WNBA) August 4, 2025
Sabrina Ionescu: Eastern Conference
21.4 PPG, 5.5 RPG, and 6.6 APG (Team Record: 6-4)
Napheesa Collier: Western Conference
23.1 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 3.1 APG (Team Record: 9-3)#KiaPOTM | #WelcometotheWpic.twitter.com/dzAT0l6ksO
Kelsey Mitchell: Shouldering the Load
When Clark went down with a groin injury late in July, Mitchell didn’t just fill the gap; she thrived.
Over her last five games in July, Mitchell averaged 21.6 points, 3.0 assists, 2.0 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game, shooting 45.9% from the field and posting a true-shooting percentage of 58.7%, all with one of the highest usage rates in the league (27.7%).
These numbers were all up from her season averages: 19.5 points, 2.9 assists, 1.9 rebounds and 0.9 steals on 45.5% from the field, TS% of 56.1 and a USG% of 25.9.
That hot streak wasn’t an anomaly, though.
Across all 11 games she suited up for in July, Mitchell still managed 20.9 points, 2.7 assists, 1.7 rebounds and 0.9 steals per outing, numbers that stack up favorably against any backcourt star in the league.
More importantly, Indiana rode those performances to a three-game winning streak to cap off the month (with Clark sidelined), while Ionescu's Liberty suffered a three-game losing streak over that same stretch of games.
The Fever won seven of 11 games over the course of July, four of which were without Clark.
Kelsey Mitchell vs. Sabrina Ionescu: Statistical Showdown
| Metric | Sabrina Ionescu (July) | Kelsey Mitchell (July) |
|---|---|---|
Points per game | 21.4. | 20.9 |
Assists per game | 6.6 | 2.7 |
Rebounds per game | 5.5 | 1.7 |
Steals per game | 1.4 | 0.9 |
Turnovers per game | 3.4 | 1.1 |
Offensive rating | 106.9 | 108.0 |
Net rating | 4.6 | 6.9 |
Field goal percentage | 40.5% | 48.3% |
3-Point percentage | 30.5% | 42.4% |
Effective field goal percentage | 47.3% | 56.3% |
True-shooting percentage | 52.5% | 59.7% |
PIE | 14.1 | 13.6 |
+/- | 2.8 | 4.1 |
Team record | 6-4 | 7-4 |
At first glance, an argument can be made for either star, yet numbers alone don’t tell the full story.
While Ionescu’s stats remain stellar, Mitchell’s July might well be the best single‐month performance by any backcourt player outside the All-Star starters.
Role, context and team construction matter and Ionescu benefitted from a roster built around her talents, while Mitchell carried a team forced into a midseason pivot.
The contrast of veteran leadership in a thin rotation versus established superstar consistency makes this one of the tightest award debates of the season.
Related: WNBA Team in Line for Punishment After Indiana Fever Game
Related: Lexie Hull Shares Honest Take on Playing Without Caitlin Clark
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 4, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: Basketball
