Entering the 2025 season, the Indiana Fever aimed for a deep playoff run. Instead, they found their biggest challenge in navigating through Caitlin Clark’s on-and-off presence. The point guard is currently recovering from her groin injury after a left quad strain. And so, the Fever have found a new player to look out for– Aliyah Boston.

As a true South Carolina alum and Dawn Staley prodigy, Boston had already proven her potential as the 2023 first-overall pick. Then, she led the league with 57.8% field goal percentage and got the All-Star nod on her way to becoming the ROTY. Over the years, her dominance in the paint and as a leader of the team has only evolved. This season, though, she had the biggest task of all– to become the playmaker of the team.

Although a four-five player, Boston always had an inkling to find an open player and pass them the ball for an easy finish. Looking at Clark, she grew that part of her game further while also keeping her strength in the restricted area in full bloom. The result? The Indiana Fever has learned how to play without the point guard, who everyone calls “The head of the snake,” thanks to Boston’s ingrained high basketball IQ. Now, even HC Stephanie White is endorsing the power forward.

During her appearance on the NBA Today yesterday, a host asked, “Coach, Caitlin gets such a big spotlight. Who needs to be talked about more?” Without barely blinking, White responded, “Aliyah Boston for sure. I mean, she is our backbone. You know, she really is the rock of our team.

“You know, we utilize her in a different way than she’s been utilized throughout the course of her career, as a hub. And you know, she’s been a player that we can play through. She’s been reliable. She’s been consistent. She’s high IQ. We’ve asked her to do more on the defensive end. And she’s stepped up to every single challenge. And AB is a player who came into this league as a low block-dominant player. Now, we’re putting the ball in her hands. We’re utilizing her.”

Before entering the league in 2023, Aliyah Boston was already a 4x Lisa Leslie player and a x Naismith DPOY. Now, every WNBA player entering the match-up against Indiana knows who their defensive bump to victory could be.

Despite not getting, or even asking for, more spotlight, Boston knows her presence has changed the team for good. The growth was already visible as the Fever went from the league-worst 5-31 record to 13-27 in her rookie season. Winning the lottery for the 2024 first-overall pick only made their case stronger by bringing in the highly touted Caitlin Clark as their first-overall pick the next season.

Thankfully, the Fever have wisely leaned into Boston’s growth. This season, she is putting up career-best numbers with 15.5 ppg and 8.3 rebounds, all while shooting 54.4% from the field. Moreover, she has 3.8 assists per game. In fact, she has already highlighted that area with a career-high 8 assists on two occasions this season.

Getting Boston going early has become the team’s secret weapon, especially while Clark works her way back to full rhythm. So, when Clark returns, there’s no need for a dramatic overhaul; she’s just stepping into a well-oiled machine that’s already humming along smoothly, courtesy of Boston.

Still, despite being the Fever’s rock, Boston is earning about $83,400 in 2025. Fortunately, her financial game is far more impressive outside of the league. Her estimated net worth? A cool $2 million, thanks to smart NIL deals-turned-endorsements with Under Armour, Bose, and others that totaled as $116K NIL value in South Carolina. And don’t forget the empire she’s building behind the scenes with her new podcast “Post Moves” and her recent investment in Boston Legacy FC.

Boston’s not just here for a quick payday. She’s thinking long-term, on the court and beyond it. It’s not loud, it’s not showy. But, like everything she does, you can’t ignore it for long. Still, nothing can take away the friendship and chemistry that the Indiana fans love to watch.

Clark and Boston are the spitting image of ‘takes two to tango’

With Clark, the conversation becomes whether Aliyah Boston gets better or not. She clearly does. Her role doesn’t change when the reigning league ROTY is on the floor; it expands. She’s still setting strong screens, rolling to the rim with intent, and reading defenders. But those reads turn into rhythm, and those roll into easy buckets.

Boston is Clark’s top assist partner. Over the seasons, we have already known Boston’s dominance in the paint. If she has the ball and she is moving in there, she is going to get a bucket one way or the other. But if the pass is from Clark, her eyes are looking for the finisher in Boston. In fact, when the point guard plays, Boston has the most points off of Clark’s assists, only adding to her performance.

Clark needs someone to guard her from the defenders on the logo before she takes that step back to the left. Boston needs someone who can zip the ball into her hands for the league’s best pick-and-roll action. In that relationship, Indiana has something rare: a foundation that’s actually sustainable.

And even Boston admits that it’s not quite the same when her running mate is missing. “I think when you have Caitlin on the floor, everything is automatically spaced. The floor is spaced, defenses are high because she comes across half-court, you can set an early drag, and there’s a deep three going up, and there’s a great chance she’s making it. When she’s not on the floor, then obviously, (they) can shrink (the floor) a little bit.”

So, yes, the Fever needs both. They’re each powerful solo acts. But together? That’s where championships start to feel less like a dream and more like a timeline. Still, until Clark returns to the floor to enchant everyone with her logo-3s, it’s Boston’s time to continue to shine.