Sophie Cunningham didn't hold back on her assessment of the Indiana Fever amid the team's rough start to the 2026 season.
The Fever dropped to 4-4 on the season after suffering back-to-back losses to the Golden State Valkyries and Portland Fire. Their loss to the Fire, in particular, was pretty bad. Indiana was blown out 100-84, with no one on the team scoring more than 20 points.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Cunningham was asked about the level of frustration among the players right now amid their struggles. The WNBA veteran acknowledged the fact that they are still putting the pieces of the puzzle together and that they are currently experiencing some "growing pains."
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However, she also made sure to point out a major issue she noticed with the Fever: their lack of toughness.
"Also just like being tough," Cunningham said about the Fever and what they need to do, per reporter Tony East.
The Fever guard added, "We're just too soft right now, and that's not what our identity is, so we need to get away from that."
For what it's worth, it's not only Cunningham who has observed the team's toughness issue. In a recent interview, Lexie Hull also touched on the Fever not having that "kill mindset" during games.
"That we need to go in every single game with a kill mindset," Hull shared on what she realized after their up-and-down start. "We can't be the ones to get punched first. We need to be the ones that assert ourselves."
It remains to be seen if the Fever will be able to address the issues that both Cunningham and Hull have identified. However, they need to find a solution sooner rather than later if they want to defend their Commissioner's Cup title and contend for the WNBA championship.
