Fever's DeWanna Bonner still a 'match-up problem' despite early struggles with Indiana, Stephanie White says

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- The Indiana Fever rolled out a new starting lineup as they hosted the 2024 WNBA champion New York Liberty on Saturday afternoon. For the first time this season, the Fever played six time All-Star DeWanna Bonner off the bench, and she scored only two points in her 23 reserve minutes in a 90-88 loss. 

Bonner, also known as DB, moved into third place on the league's all-time scoring list in the Fever's first home game, but the scoring has overall been anemic for the two-time WNBA champion.

Coming out of Auburn, Bonner was a role player for the Phoenix Mercury. She played significant minutes for a team stacked with talents like Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner.  In 2020, the Alabama native joined the Connecticut Sun in hopes of playing a larger role. In five seasons with the Sun, Bonner averaged over 16 points per game. In four games for the Fever, Bonner is averaging less than three points per game. 

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Isabel Gonzalez

The 37-year-old has aspirations to be one of the best players in WNBA history. However, for that to happen, Bonner and the Fever need to establish her role. It is something her former Connecticut coach and current Indiana coach Stephanie White has been contemplating. 

"You know, DB probably had the toughest transition of anybody," White told CBS Sports.  "She was really a priority in us getting her shot opportunities in Connecticut, and how we got them in a slower paced system. Now, it's finding where we can get it in flow in a really fast system with heavy ball-dominant guards."

To her point, the Sun were a defense-first team that thrived when keeping opponents under 80 points. They ranked last in pace per 40 minutes (93.32) in the 2024 season, compared to the Fever who ranked second (97.54). Early in the season, the Fever are once again a fast-paced team. While Bonner herself is an agile hybrid wing more than capable of leading and scoring in transition, she hasn't found her role on an Indiana team with several true guards, like Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell, who are elite shooters from the perimeter. 

"We have to make, as a coaching staff, points of emphasis that our team has to make when we're on the floor, because she is a match-up problem, and finding rhythm in flow," White said. "It's not going to be slow down, run set all the time, but how can we get to action that highlight what she brings to the table, naturally and in flow." 

Bonner is a career 30% 3-point shooter and a 41% shooter from the floor. Through four games with the Fever, Bonner has only attempted one 3-point shot. Part of the challenge is getting Bonner to seek opportunities in the middle of the court. 

"Oftentimes she's getting into the corners and not getting out of them," White said, and shot charts from Bonner's first four games support that. "That's just going to be adjustments that we have to make as a coaching staff

On Saturday, White's adjustments included playing Bonner off the bench. The change didn't yield more offense for Bonner -- at least yet. Saturday marked the second time this season Bonner's usage percentage was less than 10%. Comparatively, DB's usage under White in Connecticut last season never dropped under 14%. 

Although the comparisons early on are jarring, White is committed to finding the right role for Bonner on the court. Off the court and in the locker room, Bonner's contributions are undeniable. 

"Her leadership is just incredible," White said. "She's a strong voice in the locker room. She's a veteran presence who's been through it all. She's played with elite players before. She understands how to communicate with them, and they respect her."

2024 Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark has also boasted about DB's leadership. After Bonner moved into the third on the all-time scoring list, Clark said Bonner was "the strongest voice in our locker room". 

Two days ago in Atlanta, Clark again praised her new teammate, adding her milestone from the season opener wasn't being talked about enough. 

"I don't think people realize how big of a deal that is," Clark told reporters ahead of Indiana's midweek game against the Dream. "That's a huge milestone, that's a huge achievement in this league that she's given so much to."

After Saturday's narrow loss to the New York Liberty, the Fever sit 2-2 early in the season. Two late possessions against New York and Atlanta are the difference between the Fever, instead of the Liberty, being one of only two undefeated teams early in the season. 

"That's what's frustrating about it," Clark said. "It definitely stings, but this is what's going to make us better at the end of the year." 

The Fever stock is undoubtedly on the rise. If White and the Fever coaching staff find the right role for Bonner within the next three weeks, that will have all the makings of an epic rematch against the Liberty on June 14.