The injury bug has struck the Indiana Fever again.
Sophie Cunningham will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury, the team announced on August 19.
The 6-foot-1 guard initially sustained the injury on August 17 when Bria Hartley of the Connecticut Sun fell into her right knee in the second quarter. Although the Fever went on to defeat the Sun 99-93 in overtime, it came with a steep price.
Indiana announced that Cunningham is expected to make a full recovery.
Indiana Hardship
In addition to the announcement of Cunningham’s season-ending injury, the team signed Shey Peddy to a seven-day hardship contract.
The Fever released Kyra Lambert along with the signing of Peddy, who is a six-year veteran. She will provide the franchise with another primary ball-handler.
This season, Peddy played with the Los Angeles Sparks and averaged five points and 2.7 assists over six games as a hardship contract signee. Throughout her career, she has averaged 5.9 points and 2.3 assists while shooting 40.2% from the field.
Peddy will wear No.5 for the Fever, and it hasn’t been announced if she will play in the August 22 matchup against the Minnesota Lynx.
Indiana has dealt with injuries throughout the season. Aari McDonald and Sydney Colson both suffered season-ending injuries on August 7. Caitlin Clark has been out since July 16, and now Cunningham becomes the latest addition to Indiana’s growing injury list.
McDonald, Odyssey Sims, and now Peddy were signed by the Fever to hardship contracts this season.
Fever-ish Playoff Push
The Fever are currently sixth in league standings at 19-16 on the season. The team is 6-4 over its last ten games. If the playoffs started today, Indiana would face off against the defending champion New York Liberty.
Although Clark may return this season, the loss of Cunningham may derail this team from its championship goal. Kelsey Mitchell (20.4 points), Aliyah Boston (15.2 points), and Natasha Howard (11.7 points) are doing a good job of keeping the team afloat.
Needless to say, the loss of Cunningham impacts the team in a variety of ways. She is the energizer of the team, she spaces the floor, and she is the ‘enforcer’.
The Missouri product averaged 8.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and one steal. She shot 43.2% from three and 46.9% from the field.
Cunningham’s Role
During the post-game conference after the August 17 victory over the Sun, Fever head coach Stephanie White expressed the importance of Cunningham to the team.
“Sophie is a coach on the floor in her own right, as is AB,” White said. “Um, but when you have to, then have the responsibility of being the primary ball handler, and that’s a lot mentally as well as physically.”
“You know, you’ve got um point guards on the other end that are hounding you 94 ft. You’ve got to make sure that you’re getting everybody in the right position.”
“So it’s a different mental load and capacity when you’re in those positions.”
Since the injuries to Clark, McDonald, and Colson, Cunningham and Sims have shared point guard duties. Now, Indiana will likely rely on Peddy, Sims, and possibly Lexie Hull to take on those responsibilities.
The Fever return to action at 7:30 p.m. Eastern time on August 22 to take on Minnesota at home.
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