Indiana Fever GM saw championship DNA in Caitlin Clark, Aliyah Boston

When Indiana GM Lin Dunn talks about championship pedigree, it makes sense to listen. Some of us rolled our eyes a little back during the spring when the Fever drafted Caitlin Clark and Dunn immediately starting making noise about championship potential, but she's definitely having the last word here.

She made her comments at the Fever's draft party, which was attended by 6,000 eager fans at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. That's not a normal draft party, and given the throng that was present it wasn't surprising to hear a GM say good things about her #1 pick.

Photo byJason LeungonUnsplash

The Indiana Fever GM makes an intriguing comparison

But Dunn took things to another level when she was asked about her days as Seattle GM, which she drafted Sue Bird and Lauren Jackson in the first round in back-to-back seasons.

"I think this is the beginning of us getting back on track to win another championship here," she said. "When we were able to put Bird and Jackson together, a great point guard and a great post player, we were able to take off in Seattle, and I think that can happen here when you put Clark with Boston."

It sounded like draft-based hyperbole at the time, but now it's not. With the Fever battling the Phoenix Mercury for the sixth seed in the upcoming WNBA playoffs, more and more fans and experts are starting to take the possibility seriously.

Assessing the Fever's championship chances

Can the Fever win the championship this year? Not with their defense playing the way it is, and not with Clark turning the ball over at a clip that occasionally rivals her current scoring pace.

But Clark is also a prodigious scorer and a surprisingly accomplished floor leader, and she made her case for a deep playoff run in the Fever's recent win against Connecticut. Despite the Sun turning her over seven times, Indiana was able to withstand several runs and hold on to notch the victory.

The counter argument is that that was only one game. In a playoff series, the teams the Fever will be going up against will be able to develop intricate strategies to keep her from getting to her spots, and the Sun were able to frustrate her with their defense even though they came up short in their recent battle.

The Liberty, Sun, Lynx and Storm are all capable of locking Clark down, which will put more pressure on Boston and Kelsey Mitchell to deliver in what will inevitably be tight, low-scoring games.

The path to a title for Caitlin Clark and company

Linn Dunn knows all this, of course, but she also knows what happened when Aliyah Boston arrived in Indianapolis. The Fever hadn't reached the playoffs since 2016, but Boston showed that a different future was possible, even though Indiana was just 13-27 in her rookie year.

Clark has spoken about developing what she calls "championship habits," and that's what this particular postseason will be about. No one expects the Fever to win a title given their current player and roster development timeline, but a playoff run of sorts is possible, and that would give her, Boston and Mitchell the chance to start to develop those habits.

And that's really what it's about this year for Indiana. The results matter, of course, but the important moments will happen when the Fever encounter playoff adversity and we start to learn more about how Clark and company will respond. Will she get frustrated, or can she maintain her composure as a floor leader and right the ship when things inevitably go sideways in a big game?

Based on her brief history, we already know a lot about how Clark and Boston will respond, but this is a new stage for them, and the spotlight will be both bright and relentless. And the results will be fascinating to watch.

This article was originally written by Bob McCullough