Kelsey Mitchell Calls Fever Fouling One of 23.9 Per-Game Achilles Heels
kelsey mitchell said the Indiana Fever need cleaner possessions after practice on June 15, calling fouling one of the team’s "Achilles Heels." Indiana entered that conversation leading the WNBA with 23.9 fouls per game, and the issue has shown up in second-half collapses during the 2026 campaign.
Mitchell on June 15
Mitchell pointed straight at discipline when asked about the problem. "I think a lot of it [is that we] get a little comfortable. But I think, like I said, discipline. And I think not fouling people, sending them to the line," she said after practice.
She tied that habit directly to the way games have unfolded for Indiana. "I think that's big for us, is not fouling. I think that's one of our Achilles Heels right now. That's just keeping people back in the game," Mitchell said.
Indiana Fever Fouls
The numbers fit the concern. The Fever’s 23.9 fouls per game put them at the top of the WNBA, and the team had already dealt with several second-half collapses this season, including games in which large leads vanished late.
That pattern leaves little room for easy possessions. When Indiana puts opponents on the line, it gives back control of the game at the exact point where its leads have been slipping away.
Mitchell's Own Sharpening
Mitchell also put the critique on herself. "I think I've had some bonehead mistakes I don't like for myself... You don't want to have those. You don't want to be that person [who is] not doing what they need to do. You've got to be sharp. So I think mentally, I just want to be a little sharper," she said.
She closed by turning the same standard back on the locker room. "You've got to be honest with yourself about where your team needs you at, and just keep just chucking away. But looking at myself in the mirror, for sure," Mitchell said. For Indiana, the next step is simple enough to say and harder to sustain: fewer fouls, fewer free points, and fewer late-game chances for opponents to stay alive.
