Aliyah Boston · With their challenging, opening-season gauntlet finally in the rearview mirror, the Indiana Fever — living up to their name as one of the WNBA’s hottest teams — can cite plenty of reasons for their thrilling turnaround. In every sense of the word, there’s one reason that stands front and center: the rediscovered rhythm of Aliyah Boston. Fixated on the goal of continuing one of her season’s most impactful performances, the 2023 No. 1 pick flashes her elite two-way traits, first by patrolling the paint with a perfectly-timed swat on Lindsay Allen’s layup. Feeding off of the energy of Indiana’s fired-up, sellout crowd, Boston doubles down, running the floor before being rewarded with a selfless dish to set up a transition score. In something of a trend throughout their first three meetings with the Chicago Sky, the Fever were forced to sweat out a physical, chippy, back-and-forth affair on the way to their season’s first winning streak. The soon-to-be named Eastern Conference Player of the Week proved up to the task, producing 19 points (on 9-of-13 shooting), 14 rebounds, four assists, five blocks, and a game-high +13 plus-minus on June 16, 2024. · State of Mint · State of Mint