The Indiana Fever have qualified for the WNBA playoffs for the first time since 2016, thanks in large part to how transformative Caitlin Clark has been despite only being a rookie. Clark, in addition to being one of the best offensive forces in the association by virtue of her unlimited range, she has also gotten the best out of her teammates — with Kelsey Mitchell playing better than ever with the 22-year-old point guard shouldering the bulk of playmaking duties.
Now, if the season ended today, the Fever are on course to match up against the Connecticut Sun in the first round of the postseason. Alas, there is a major experience gap in favor of the Sun. After all, a few of the Sun's best players such as Alyssa Thomas, Dijonai Carrington, and Brionna Jones have WNBA Finals experience, while DeWanna Bonner, a two-time champion, remains productive late in her career.
But this experience deficit, while granting the Sun another advantage in a series that will heavily favor them, should not be enough reason for fans to count out the Fever. At the very least, Kelsey Mitchell has sought the advice of two NBA players with postseason experience in D'Angelo Russell and Miles McBride to help her prepare mentally for the task that lies ahead.
“I recently talked to my close friend D’Angelo Russell. We go way back. Me and him go back to the point where we trained together at Ohio State. We kind of know each other so, from that perspective, it was good to get a conversation in regards to how it looked,” Mitchell shared to reporters, via the official Fever account on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“I also got a chance to talk to Miles McBride… He made a run with the Knicks, and so he knew what it was like, too. We’re from the same home town. I like to get as much information as I can so it’s been exciting to hear about it.”
Of course, learning from the experience of others is very different from going through something yourself. But Mitchell is merely making the most out of the resources she has at her disposal, and perhaps the words of advice she got from Russell and McBride could at least help her get a good grasp of what it will take for the Fever to make a deep playoff run.
What Kelsey Mitchell, Fever can learn from D'Angelo Russell and Miles McBride
Some would think that Kelsey Mitchell won't receive much helpful advice from D'Angelo Russell when it comes to preparing for the playoffs. After all, Russell has had his fair share of stinkers in the postseason over the past two seasons for the Los Angeles Lakers.
But out of everyone, Russell would know just how difficult the grind in the playoffs is and how any player, regardless of skill level, must remain locked in from game to game lest they suffer the consequences. The Fever can ill afford a bad game from Mitchell; thus, it's important for her to find ways to score and contribute even on nights when her jumpshot isn't falling.
Meanwhile, Mitchell can learn from McBride to not force the issue; one of McBride's best assets for the Knicks has been his awareness of his role and how fearless he is when called upon. This unflappability comes in handy in the playoffs when adversity level is at its highest.
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