Melissa Smith's time with the Indiana Fever might be coming to an end as the season progresses tensions between Smith and the team's coaching staff particularly head coach Christy sides have become a parent raising questions about her future with the team in Indiana's game against the Minnesota links Smith played only 10 minutes a surprising development for a player of her caliber during the game her brother Liv tweeted his frustration with the coach's decisions especially regarding Smith's limited playing time and positioning his tweet suggested that Smith wasn't being given a fair opportunity to succeed a sentiment shared by many who have followed her career Smith's performance has declined since her days at Baylor where she was a versatile and dynamic player the pull-up shots she confidently made at Baylor seem to have disappeared since joining the WNBA her brother attributes this decline to a confidence issue which seems plausible given the circumstances this season the fever have transitioned from a rebuilding phase to a team aiming for playoff contention for the first time in her WNBA career Smith is part of a team with real aspirations of winning and making a postseason run this shift may have contributed to her confidence issues as the pressure to perform has increased and her output has noticeably dropped Smith has always been a strong rebounder though her defense has never been her strong suit she has the potential to be a volume scorer player who can rack up points quickly and effectively this potential was evident when she played in international leagues during the off season where she excelled but in the WNBA she has struggled to find her footing and her role with the fever seems increasingly misaligned with her strengths change of scenery might be the solution a team where Smith can come off the bench as a leading scorer might be the best fit for her at this stage in her career teams like the Atlanta Dream who could benefit from an additional score boring option might be ideal if a trade were to happen Beaver might not demand much in return perhaps a couple of second round picks given how poorly Smith's current situation fits with the team the question of whether Chris decides is to blame for Smith's struggles is complicated a coach's job is to win games and maximize the team's performance but it's also to develop and get the best out of individual players if focusing on players like Elite Boston and Kelsey Mitchell means sidelining Smith's potential it's clear where the priorities lie Smith has become the fourth option on the team and while she occasionally steps up she's often relegated to a secondary role further eroding her conf looking ahead Smith faces matchups against teams like the Atlanta Dream where she should perform well given their lack of a top tier Defender however against stronger opponents like the Connecticut Sun she has struggled this season