Caitlin Clark‘s road back to the court is shaping up to be a slow and deliberate process.
The Indiana Fever star has been sidelined since mid-July with a right groin injury, and while she has started some on-court work, she has yet to rejoin full team practices.
On Tuesday, Fever head coach Stephanie White offered clarity on what Clark must accomplish before she can resume game action, emphasizing the endurance and contact demands that will determine her readiness.
“She went through our walkthrough yesterday. Today it was very short, prior to gametime. But she went through it yesterday. And I want to see her in practice. Live in practice,” White said via Chloe Peterson of The Indianapolis Star.
“I want to see her continue to work to not just build endurance, but to be able to handle contact 94 feet as it’s going to be in-game, and to be able to do that and sustain it from an endurance standpoint, and that’s going to take multiple practices to make sure that there’s no regression.”
Working through recovery
Clark has joined walkthroughs and pregame shootarounds, including one in Minnesota last weekend, but she has not yet completed a full practice since mid-July.
White reiterated that Clark‘s long-term health is the priority: “It doesn’t really shift anything with Caitlin. It continues to be the most important thing, is that she’s 100% and that she’s ready to come back. The timing, it’s never ideal, but her long-term health and wellness is the most important thing.”
When asked whether Clark could return before the season concludes, White remained hopeful without committing to a specific timeline, saying simply, “That’s the hope.”
With just six regular-season games left, the timeline for Clark‘s return remains unclear. Indiana is fighting for a playoff spot while managing a roster heavily impacted by injuries.
Key players Sydney Colson, Sophie Cunningham, and Aari McDonald are all lost for the season, leaving the Fever to navigate the stretch run with limited depth.
White stressed that performance under fatigue is a critical benchmark. “As most of us know, when we get fatigued, we look different, and see how she plays through fatigue,” she added.
Even fans have noticed a shift in Clark‘s appearance, noticing a leaner silhouette compared to previous offseason photos after unveiling her latest collab with Nike.
“Caitlin lost a lot of that muscle wow,” one X user wrote, igniting discussions about how her body has evolved since her viral Big Ten tournament flex in March, where she looked noticeably more muscular.
As Fever fans eagerly await her return, Clark‘s evolving physique and growing presence with Nike signal not just a recovery, but a new chapter in the career of one of the WNBA’s brightest stars.
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