INDIANAPOLIS — It’s been about one month since Mercedes Russell signed with the Indiana Fever, and her size still makes some heads turn in the team’s facilities.
Standing at six feet six inches tall, only a half dozen players have suited up in a 2026 WNBA game who stand taller than Russell. Young Fever forward Makayla Timpson thinks Russell is the tallest teammate she’s ever had. “Yeah,” Timpson thought. “[She’s] gotta be.”
Among that group of six that stands above Russell is Chicago Sky center Kamilla Cardoso. And in the Fever’s second-to-last game before the World Cup break, they had to deal with Cardoso to end a road trip. Star center Aliyah Boston was out due to injury for Indiana, complicating that matchup.
Halfway through that game, Chicago led 51-50. Monique Billings, who started in place of Boston, had four fouls at the break and needed to have her minutes managed in the second half. So how fitting for the Fever that, in a time of need, they had their own giant to turn to.
Russell played for over 12 minutes in the second half of that battle, which ended as a Fever win. She was plus-20 in just the second half, dishing out three assists and scoring three points at the foul line. Chicago’s offense faded across the final two quarters. Russell’s impact and size were nearly impossible to miss.
It was exactly as head coach Stephanie White described when the Fever signed Russell in the first place. “First and foremost, she’s got the size and the length that can give us a different type of look on the interior,” White said just after the signing.
Before that outing in Chicago, Russell had logged just seven minutes of play across three outings. In the Fever’s final two games before the break, Russell averaged about 13.5 minutes per contest. Indiana was plus-43 with its new frontcourt piece on the court in those two games, showing how effective someone who is simply tall can be.
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“Her size is huge for us,” assistant coach Austin Kelly said this week. “I think the lineup data says a lot about what she does for us defensively and offensively. … Her length bothers people around the rim.”
The lineup data is indeed strong, though that is also due to a low sample of minutes for Russell. Per Databallr, the Fever have a net rating of plus-44.6 with Russell on the floor so far. The sample size issue shows up in the Fever’s and their opponents’ three-point percentage during those 36 minutes. But Russell’s contributions and size are also a factor.
In the aforementioned Sky game, for example, Russell had three assists. Two of them went to star guards Kelsey Mitchell and Caitlin Clark to set up threes. Her other two dimes this season have set up layups — one for Mitchell, the other for Lexie Hull.
“It’s very impressive how she can fit into the team so seamlessly,” Hull said after that win over the Sky last month. “The chemistry is already there. … She just plays the right way.” White also praised Russell’s ball movement after that outing.
Russell’s ability to pass and click with new teammates isn’t a surprise. It’s actually years in the making, dating back to Russell’s time playing youth basketball. The Oregon native told The IX that she has always been taller than her peers on the court, even in her early days playing the sport. But that height advantage didn’t originally put Russell in the post.
“I actually played guard a lot up until like middle school, and then that’s when they were like, ‘Okay, girl, you need to get yourself on the block’. So I started playing more post,” Russell recalled. “But it wasn’t until late middle school [or] high school that I really started playing more of a big position. I played all around, played everywhere.”
That was a long time ago, but there’s a reason that Russell has produced healthy assist-per-minute numbers: experience. Even during her time as a role player for two title-winning Seattle Storm teams, she kept the ball moving. She then grew as a professional as the Storm rebuilt, and she worked with franchise legends overseas.
Back then, she learned better habits and the little things needed to be a productive WNBA player. Today with the Fever, that focus on the intangibles has been important. It allowed Russell to fit in from day one without disrupting what she views as strong chemistry.
“They’re such a solid group, and they have been working obviously for months. And I think when I came, it was really a smooth transition,” Russell said of joining Indiana last month. “Like, I fit in really well. Everybody helped me transition, and it was really seamless. So I think the camaraderie, the chemistry, it was just really easy to fit in.”
Russell knew Kelsey Mitchell from various high school tournaments growing up and met Sophie Cunningham when they played against each other during SEC matchups in college. Those relationships helped, too, and much of this Fever team got used to bringing in new players during the 2025 season. They dealt with several injuries down the stretch last year and know what it takes to help new talents fit in quickly.
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Russell is the latest example. “She’s a great teammate,” Timpson said, pointing to Russell’s championship experience in Seattle.
The Tennessee product joined to fill in for the injured Damiris Dantas, who is out for the season after suffering a torn meniscus in her left knee. The Fever were granted a season ending injury exception as a result, and they used it to bring in Russell.
Indiana had been in conversations with Russell before, the center shared, so bringing her in now works out well for both sides. In the month since Russell signed, the frontcourt rotation has changed significantly as Timpson has grown into a starter while Monique Billings and Myisha Hines-Allen are playing new roles off the bench.
Russell’s first game with big minutes came with Boston out and Billings in foul trouble. In her second outing with more playing time, the entire frontcourt rotation was available, yet Russell played more than both Hines-Allen and Billings. She finished with three points and three rebounds in a 20-point win over Connecticut.
“Just bringing energy to both ends of the floor,” Russell said of her role in a changing frontcourt rotation. “Just keeping up the tempo as I come into the game, because obviously there’s already a flow early.”
Speaking of flow, Russell’s life has better flow right now. She’s finally more relaxed and living in an apartment instead of a hotel, which has helped her get more settled in Indianapolis. She joked that she’s lived three lives in the last month. After staying in shape all year with individual workouts on the West Coast, Russell had to quickly pack her things and move to the Eastern time zone to be with the Fever. She called that move the fastest 72 hours she’s ever experienced.
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Now, she plays for the fastest team in the league in terms of pace and is helping them win games. Soon, the playoffs will be here, and Russell could have a role depending on who the Fever play.
New York and Atlanta are both plausible first-round opponents for the Fever. The Liberty frontcourt features Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones, two of the league’s taller players. Han Xu, the tallest WNBA player, comes off the bench. Atlanta’s roster has Brionna Jones, Angel Reese, DeWanna Bonner, and Madina Okot. Size will be a key element in those series should they come to pass.
That’s where Russell could be important for a few minutes every night.
“Just coming up in key moments,” she said. “Obviously the playoffs, every possession matters, every game is huge. So just being locked in and being ready for whenever my name is called.”
Recently, Russell’s name has been called more often. She’s been the towering presence the Fever need her to be while also using a few of the guard skills she picked up nearly two decades ago. With four games to go before the postseason, she’ll iron out her role for the Fever, then help out in the playoffs any way she can.
