After Caitlin Clark’s injury, the savior for the Indiana Fever was Kelsey Mitchell. But the explosive scorer got support from midseason recruit Aari McDonald in the backcourt. But the youngster was also out of action following an injury against the Connecticut Sun team. While the player was added to the Unrivaled roster, with Paige Bueckers, she worked towards her fitness.
Early in November, McDonald shared a positive “baby steps” update amid foot injury rehabilitation. Now, two months later, she has another update on her injury.
Aari McDonald To Play With Paige Bueckers Following Complete Recovery
After starring for the Indiana Fever, the 27-year-old guard became one of the hottest prospects in the league. Her gameplay earned her a place in the Unrivaled league, too, as Breeze BC added her to the young team.
While many doubted her availability for the games, the player had a special message for them on social media. In the post shared by the Fever guard, McDonald wrote, “Today is my first time playing in almost 5 months.”
Today is my first time playing in almost 5 months 🥹
— Aari McDonald (@McdonaldAari2) January 5, 2026
The Fever guard played for six minutes in the game and scored two points with one rebound. Breeze BC won the close game behind Dominique Malonga’s monstrous double-double performance.
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As for Bueckers, the star shone in her debut and even won the game for her side, Breeze BC. But the Wings’ guard pointed out a few changes she felt in the Unrivaled and WNBA.
Paige Bueckers Highlights Hard Defense In Unrivaled League
The Unrivaled features a 3-on-3 format, where individual skills take precedence over team play. This includes individual brilliance on offense and defense. As for Bueckers, she is accustomed to tight defense and has made a name for herself by winning over top defensive sides. However, in Unrivaled, she experienced a greater physicality.
Talking about the same, she said, “We all know that the [WNBA] is physical, but Unrivaled I feel is even more physical than that. And then not being able to have help side, you’re basically on an island. So at points, you’re gonna have to be okay with getting cooked.”
"We all know that the [WNBA] is physical, but Unrivaled I feel is even more physical than that. And then not being able to have help side, you're basically on an island. So at points, you're gonna have to be okay with getting cooked."
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) January 6, 2026
—Paige Bueckers
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Though the player pointed out a different defensive style, Bueckers plots sneaky foul-bait mastery and Shai bump pull-up to unlock next-level WNBA dominance; this would help the star in the WNBA, too.