Sophie Cunningham reveals what’s ‘hurting’ Indiana Fever right now

Indiana Fever star Sophie Cunningham cited the team’s lack of toughness on the defensive end as the main reason behind their uneven start to their 2026 WNBA campaign.

The Fever dropped to 4-4 on the season after back-to-back losses to the Golden State Valkyries and the Portland Fire . Their loss to the Fire last weekend was one of their worst performances in a while, as no one from the Fever recorded at least 20 points.

“No one wants to do it, but the good defensive teams, they are the teams that win, and we have the personnel to do it,” Cunningham told reporters. “I think that’s something that’s hurting us right now is we’re only playing one defensive scheme, and in this league, it’s too good.”

“You can’t (just have one defensive scheme). People are going to pick us apart, and so we’ve got to dial in. We got to focus. Your IQ has to be on point. You have to know what schemes we’re doing. If you can’t do that, then you can’t play, and that’s the point where we’re at right now,” she added.

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Furthermore, Sophie Cunningham disclosed that the Indiana Fever held a team meeting that lasted almost two hours on Monday to address their on-court frustrations. Perhaps this could be what the doctor ordered for the Fever, who have been through a lot in the past few days.

On top of their lackluster recent form, franchise cornerstone Caitlin Clark has been rather inconsistent thus far. She only tallied six points on 1-for-7 shooting from the field and had five personal fouls during the Fever’s blowout defeat against the Portland Fire, where she got into a verbal altercation with her head coach, Stephanie White, at one point.

The Fever are currently fifth in the Eastern Conference with a 4-4 record. They will take on the top-seeded Atlanta Dream on Thursday night, looking to return to winning ways and be one game over the .500 mark.