Fresh off winning silver and setting scoring record, Damiris Dantas' return gives Fever a full deck
Dantas has been away from the team since June 25, heading to Chile to play in the FIBA AmeriCup with the Brazilian National Team. She played in six games over eight days and was named to the All-Tournament Team along with Chicago Sky center Kamilla Cardoso after leading Brazil to a silver medal.
Dantas averaged 21.4 points and six rebounds per game on 52% shooting from the field and 36.7% beyond the arc. In the gold medal match against Team USA, she had an AmeriCup-record 35 points.
It's been a packed couple weeks for Dantas, who got barely any rest while she was away from the Fever. Coach Stephanie White intends to ease her back into the fold.
'She was incredible,' White said. 'Yeah, she'll need some rest. So, you know, I'm not sure when she'll be available.'
Once Dantas returns, the Fever will finally have a full roster.
Indiana has only had a full, healthy and available roster for two games this season: dating back to May 22 at Atlanta and May 24 against New York. Other than that, the Fever have had injuries to Caitlin Clark and Sophie Cunningham, DeWanna Bonner out for personal reasons then released and Dantas away from the team to compete in AmeriCup.
Now, with Clark progressing toward a return from her groin injury this week and Dantas returning from Chile, Indiana will have all 11 players at their disposal.
'This will hopefully, knock on wood, when DD and she is available, this will be the first time that our full roster has been available,' White said. 'And so for us, reintegrating Caitlin, if we don't have any setbacks, reintegrating DD, you know, it changes what our rotation looks like. It changes what our lineup looks like. It does give us a little bit more versatility, but it's going to be a challenge, but something that's necessary for us.'
Dantas' return will likely cut into the minutes rookie Makayla Timpson has gotten recently. Timpson has been impressive in her cameos on the court, integrating herself into the rotation and showing off her rebounding and defensive prowess.
Dividing up those minutes will be a challenge, as White said, but for the Fever, it's a good challenge to have.
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