Stephanie White Explains Importance of Chloe Bibby Addition After Fever Defeat Sky

Following a brief five-game stint with the Golden State Valkyries, Bibby took the floor for the first time since June 29, notching 8 points in 11 minutes and draining both of her three-point attempts.

"She did a really good job of understanding offense, understanding where she was gonna get hers, and then staying shot-ready," Fever head coach Stephanie White noted postgame. "I like how she was defensively too, she didn't allow any easy entry passes."

Bibby made her first appearance towards the close of the first quarter, quickly capitalizing with a left-wing three. She'd hit the mark once again in the second, finding a soft spot in the Chicago zone and burying a corner triple.

"They were playing zone, and so bringing in Chloe early and having four shooters around [Aliyah Boston] was important," White added.

Bibby had all 8 of her points by halftime, playing sparingly in the second half.

Bibby Provides Fresh Look for Fever

Her modest Fever debut won't garner massive headlines, but White spoke to the importance of Bibby's addition following Sunday's win.

"She just gives us a different look than any of our other post players," White heralded postgame.

Even after waiving veteran forward DeWanna Bonner, Indiana still deploys a deep frontcourt. Boston headlines a unit with ample experience, in the form of Natasha Howard, Damiris Dantas, and Brianna Turner, as well as some exciting young blood in the rookie Timpson.

What the Fever lack, however, is a true forward who commands respect beyond the arc. Sophie Cunningham and Lexie Hull have provided some versatility in a pinch, but neither fits the build of a protypical WNBA forward.

"Sometimes you'll see us go small with Sophie and Lexie at the four," White noted. "With Chloe on our roster right, now we don't have to do that. She has really good size and she has that same ability to stretch the floor."

The 6-foot-2 Bibby has developed a reputation as a more-than-capable three-point shooter. After sporting a 35.5 3P% in her five-year NCAA career, the Australian native is converting at a 47.6% clip through six WNBA games thus far.

A fully healthy Fever squad, one that includes star guard Caitlin Clark, boasts skill and size. Bibby's addition gives them a little bit more of both, and in the form of a stretch four that Indiana was previously without.

Playing time won't be a guarantee in a crowded forward unit. Even with Howard limited to a season-low 12 minutes while Dantas and Turner were benched entirely, Bibby logged only 11 minutes against Chicago.

Of course, Timpson was boosted to a season-high 22 minutes in what proved to be a career-best performance for the youngster, and Bibby has had just two days to learn an entirely new playbook.

If nothing else, it's an exciting new tool for White to implement and one that makes the Fever far more flexible moving forward.