Indiana Fever center Damiris Dantas is out for the season after undergoing surgery for a torn meniscus on Monday. Dantas, who signed a two-year contract with the Fever in the offseason, has seen inconsistent minutes over the past few months but was nonetheless one of Indiana’s backup frontcourt options.
Now, Indiana will have a more short-handed frontcourt rotation.
The Fever lose one of their most veteran players in Damiris Dantas
Damiris Dantas has appeared in 12 games this season, averaging 3.3 points, 1.5 rebounds and 0.3 assists. Her role, albeit limited, meant that Stephanie White had another backup big option at her disposal. Now, an already-limited campaign has been cut short.
Because she was already playing a more limited role than expected, the absence won’t impact Indiana’s day-to-day rotation as much.
Nonetheless, Dantas is one of the most veteran players on the roster; the 33-year-old holds career averages of 6.8 points and 3.7 rebounds across 272 career games in 12 seasons. She’s played for the Fever since 2024, but previously suited up for the Minnesota Lynx and Atlanta Dream, and was someone who Stephanie White could turn to in a pinch.
Now, with Dantas out for the season, the burden will continue to fall on Makayla Timpson, who is averaging 4.2 points and 2.5 rebounds in 15.9 minutes per game.
Aliyah Boston continues to hold down the fort in the frontcourt
The good news for Indiana is that they have one of the best bigs in the league anchoring the frontcourt: Aliyah Boston, who is averaging 16.9 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game. Boston has averaged 26.8 minutes per game, and Timpson has played the majority of her backup minutes.
The Fever may look to sign an additional big to bolster the rotation in the wake of Dantas’s absence. While Myisha Hines-Allen and Monique Billings have played significant roles, Indiana may want to sign another center to a rest-of-season contract.
The Fever are 19-11 and coming off a loss to the Minnesota Lynx. Next up, they’ll face the Las Vegas Aces on Thursday, August 6th.
Read the full article here