Stephanie White reveals problem that's stopped Lexie Hull from shining with the Indiana Fever
The Fever guard endured four scoreless games, yet defense and lineup impact kept her firmly in starting five
Lexie Hull ’s shooting numbers had become difficult to ignore. Her value to the Indiana Fever had not. That was the message from Stephanie White after Hull delivered one of her best offensive performances in weeks, scoring 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting in Indiana’s 113-90 win over the Chicago Sky .
The performance ended a prolonged cold stretch that included four scoreless WNBA games and no double-digit scoring outing since July 9 against the Phoenix Mercury .
Still, White said the dip in production never changed what she saw from Hull every day.
“Certainly was struggling with confidence, but you could never tell in the way that she shows up,” White said Wednesday. “She’s always going to show up. She’s always going to stay ready.”
Keeping Hull in lineup not about reassurance
The bigger question was why Hull continued starting while her shot disappeared. White made clear that the answer had little to do with trying to restore her confidence.
“Yeah, it’s not to give her reassurance,” White said. “It’s because she impacts us winning, especially on the defensive end of the floor.”
That explains much of Hull ’s importance to Indiana. She's averaging 5.3 points and 3.1 rebounds in 19 minutes per game, modest numbers for a player who has now started 36 straight games after coming off the bench in the first three.
Her role, though, extends well beyond scoring. At 6-foot-1, Hull can take difficult perimeter assignments and give Indiana flexibility around higher-usage guards such as Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell .
Fever evaluating more than shooting numbers
White also pointed to lineup data and bench construction as part of the decision.
“We look at combinations of players that play together,” she said. “We look at all the analytics just as much as who’s making shots. It’s also important to have punch off the bench and make sure you get production off the bench.
“So really balancing that out, that’s one of the toughest things that you have to do as a coach, constantly evaluating that.”
Sunday’s game showed why the patience could pay off. Hull didn't need to dominate the offense. She simply punished the space Chicago gave her, hitting six of eight shots and two three-pointers while Indiana rolled.
The Fever now turn toward Friday’s home game against the Connecticut Sun , their final contest before the WNBA pauses for the FIBA Women’s World Cup.
Hull’s slump may not be definitively over after one game. Her place in Indiana’s plans, however, appears to have been secure all along.
