Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark has officially been ruled out of Tuesday night’s highly anticipated Commissioner’s Cup title game against the Minnesota Lynx, sparking concern among fans and raising fresh questions about her mounting injury troubles.
After missing back-to-back games due to a lingering left groin injury, Clark was labeled a game-time decision on Monday. But by Tuesday, the WNBA’s most electrifying star was nowhere to be seen at shootaround – and was ultimately scratched from the lineup.
Her absence is a major blow for the Fever (8-8), who had split the two games Clark missed – falling to the Sparks before bouncing back with a big win over the Wings.
In that matchup, fans were robbed of a must-see showdown between two of the league’s brightest stars: Clark and Paige Bueckers. The latter dropped 27 points, but Indiana’s Kelsey Mitchell stole the show with 32.
Clark’s condition is causing concern in the WNBA
Clark’s recent absence only adds to a string of injury concerns this season. She previously missed five games with a quad issue – a separate problem from the one that sidelined her during the preseason.
Through nine games in her sophomore season, she’s averaging 18.2 points, 5 rebounds, 8.7 assists, and 1.6 steals – still elite numbers, but her 3-point shooting has dipped to 26%, possibly due to her leg issues.
The relentless schedule may be catching up to Clark, who played four straight years at Iowa without missing a single game and had less than a month off before entering the WNBA. Fever head coach Stephanie White has repeatedly stressed the importance of the “big picture,” saying, “No sense in rushing anything.”
Caitlin doesn’t give up
Clark herself has remained hopeful. “Doing everything I can to put myself in a position to play the next game every single time… That’s always my goal,” she said recently.
But as the injuries add up, fans are beginning to ask: Is Caitlin Clark’s body waving a red flag amid a non-stop grind?
Read the full article here
