INDIANAPOLIS — Just over four weeks ago, the Indiana Fever were practicing in Las Vegas. They were at the Aces’ training facility, preparing to play the reigning champions.
There, two full-length courts sit side-by-side with a basket on each end — four in total. As Fever players began to take a few shots to warm up, a few of them wondered if one of the rims was slightly too high. Without a tape measure, they struggled to figure out whether it was exactly 10 feet off the ground.
But the Fever didn’t need an instrument to check the height of the basket. They had Makayla Timpson.
Timpson, a forward/center in her second professional season, is among the most athletic players in the WNBA. While in college at Florida State, she dunked during a practice.
Timpson can clearly touch the rim. So a few Fever players yelled out to Timpson, who they call KK, and asked if she could reach the basket that they thought was off. If she could graze the iron, it was probably the right height.
So Timpson, at about 80% speed, walked into the paint, took two steps, then jumped up and poked the bottom of the rim.
That was that. Problem solved.
Most of the time, her athleticism isn’t a party trick. Two nights earlier, Timpson had produced the highlight of her career by jumping up to pin a Kahleah Copper layup against the backboard in crunch time. Indiana came back to beat the Phoenix Mercury that night but would likely have lost without that block.
“It felt amazing. I didn’t expect to block it like that,” Timpson said of the play. Her hand was level with the rim before swatting the shot, and she admitted that she’d never pinned a shot like that before. “It surprised me, too, just like everybody else.”
Those are the plays in which Timpson’s athleticism is more visible. Her blocks, her rebounds that nobody else has a chance to get, her layups in which no hand can get between her shot and the basket. In those instances, her pop off the floor makes her an effective player.
Her teammates marvel at those feats. When asked whether Timpson has ever done something athletically that they haven’t seen before, many pointed to that block in Phoenix. Forward Monique Billings mentioned that Timpson does something impressive in warmups before almost every game. Aces forward/center Brianna Turner, who was Timpson’s teammate in 2025, said it’s an everyday thing.
“Every time she steps on the court, her athleticism is sort of remarkable,” Turner said. “I think you kind of get used to it.”
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Yet as of late, it’s been Timpson’s possession-by-possession presence that has turned her into a more impactful piece for the Fever. She’s helping the team win games in a way that she never has before.
“Her confidence,” Fever center Aliyah Boston said of Timpson’s in-season improvement. “Being able to put her on the floor and she knows exactly what she needs to do. She doesn’t second-guess herself.”
Over the last month, Timpson is averaging 22.8 minutes per game and has logged more than 30 minutes twice. She has been the reserve post player head coach Stephanie White has trusted the most; others are hardly playing. Before July 8, Timpson was averaging 12.7 minutes per contest and didn’t get into a game at all on June 24.
Timpson has always been skilled. That’s why the Fever drafted her in the first place. At the time, general manager Amber Cox called the young frontcourt player a defensive powerhouse.
Timpson’s hurdle has been that she’s too jumpy and almost too eager to make a play. Her rookie season, which was still promising, featured many plays in which she popped up off the floor too quickly for a block or pounced into action only to clog up spacing. The intent was good. The execution and timing were not.
Timpson still showed enough potential for Indiana to protect her in the expansion draft back in April. That choice is now paying off, as Timpson has learned to combine her agility and leaping with discipline.
“I think she’s become a really good off-ball cutter. I think she’s become a really good screener,” White said. “At times a year ago, understanding when to do those things wasn’t quite there. It’s really come together.”
Statistically, Timpson’s most noticeable improvement is her efficiency. She’s made 60% of her shot attempts this season while slightly improving from the foul line, which has boosted her true shooting percentage to 62.7%.
Her midrange effectiveness, primarily on floaters and runners, is more refined. While the majority of Timpson’s shots come at the rim, her polished touch from farther out provides more options for the Fever’s offense.
“Just making the right reads, depending on the team that we play giving us different looks defensively. Whether it’s doubling [Boston], I could be wide open,” Timpson said. “Being aggressive on [Caitlin Clark] and [Kelsey Mitchell], being able to have my keeps.”
Of all WNBA players with at least 100 minutes of action this season, Timpson’s true shooting percentage ranks 18th. Only Mitchell and guard Sophie Cunningham sit ahead of her on the Fever roster. Some of Timpson’s offensive work comes from, as she described it, sneaking around the basket. She’s mastering that stealth, then finishing the plays that come her way.
Most of Timpson’s per-minute stats are currently similar to her rookie year. That’s not a knock — being a more efficient version of the same player is a good thing. A few differences stand out, though, and one is that Timpson’s passing feel at least exists now. She logged one total assist as a rookie and has 13 in Year 2. That’s still a small number across 30 appearances, but it shows Timpson’s improvements in simply reading the game.
Her steal rate is down, yet her block rate is way up. Timpson is still a defensive playmaker, yet a more disciplined one. That end of the floor is where her impact is felt most.
“I think KK’s focus. I think KK has always been that type of player. She’s super athletic. And I think her ability to guard any position on the floor,” Boston said of where she’s seen Timpson improve. “And I think you see it with her rebounding, her blocks, just the way that she affects the game, I think it’s been tremendous for us. I think she’s been doing such a great job, so I’m proud of her.”
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The fact that Boston and Timpson can coexist has been a boon for Indiana. Per databallr, the Fever are outscoring teams by 13.6 points per 100 possessions with both frontcourt players on the floor this season. They have done well apart, too, but being able to play off of each other has helped White complete her rotation.
Earlier in the season, there was more mixing and matching in the frontcourt. Myisha Hines-Allen played almost every night. Damiris Dantas occasionally hit the hardwood. The Fever searched for the right pairings.
They found that Timpson as the primary reserve is the best option, and she has emerged of late. As a rookie, she only surpassed 20 minutes in a game one time. She’s done so nine times in Year 2 with many games still to come.
Billings has seen her young teammate become more consistent and nail the details. She’s more in tune with the Fever’s scheme. Turner recalled Timpson being a hard worker with a steady attitude and being ready at a moment’s notice last season.
All of those traits helped her improve. Then came minutes, and Timpson has used the playing time to grow at a faster rate. And now, after not playing at all during a game earlier this season, she’s becoming an indispensable piece for the Fever.
“Just being consistent,” Timpson said. “Being a consistent player offensively and defensively, making big plays for my team. And just being myself. I have that confidence in myself.”
Timpson has always believed in herself. After some key improvements, the rest of the Fever believe in her a great deal, too.
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