July 13, 2023
Locked on Women’s Basketball: Indiana Fever general manager Lin Dunn explains it all
By The Next
Howard and Lin Dunn discuss the biggest areas of growth for the Fever this season
In the latest episode of Locked on Women’s Basketball, Howard Megdal is joined by Indiana Fever general manager Lin Dunn to discuss the biggest areas of growth for the Fever here in Year 2 of the rebuild, from Aliyah Boston‘s ability to seamlessly transition into a WNBA All-Star starter to the development of NaLyssa Smith inside and Lexie Hull and Grace Berger on the perimeter. Plus, the duo mourn the end of Kelsey Mitchell‘s reign as “Best player to never make an All-Star team.”
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The pair start by talking about where the Fever stand mid-way through the season.
“I feel really good about where the Fever are,” Dunn said. “As you said, we only won five games all of last year, we’ve already won five. And we continue to get better. We’re in almost every game, I think there’s only been one game where we didn’t have a chance to win, which is significant for a very young team, maybe the second-youngest team in the league.
I’ve seen marked improvement in individuals, I’ve seen an improvement in the team as a whole. I like the growth of our young coaching staff. So I’m very positive about where we are [in] Year 2 of this rebuild. I always said I had a three-year plan. Could we be a little bit ahead of schedule [in] Year 2? I think so since we’ve already won five games. And we’ve already played a very, very difficult schedule. So I’m optimistic about the growth of our babies. They’re young, they’re growing, they’re eager, they’re enthusiastic, they’re coachable.”
Dunn also talked about Boston’s transition to the league and the first half of her rookie season.
“We knew that Aliyah [Boston] was going to have an immediate impact to this team and an impact in this league. But I don’t think we knew how big of an impact,” she said. “Dawn Staley had always said, just wait ’til she gets to the league and she’s not significantly double- and triple-teamed, you’re going to see how great she can be. And Dawn was spot on. And I think what I see for her in the future is the continued growth of her versatility. And I think we’ve started to see it. She’s not always down on the low post with her back to the basket. She’s at the elbow, she’s out on the perimeter. And so she’s not just a center in this league. She is a [power forward or center] with face-up skills, with back-to-the-basket skills and I think you’re going to continue to see her grow in her versatility.”
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