Caitlin Clark played only 13 games during her second season with the Indiana Fever and the WNBA.
Strains to her left quadriceps and groin and a sprained left ankle forced the former Iowa Hawkeyes star off the court and onto the bench to support her team. However, the Fever coach provided encouraging updates on her recovery.
White gives Indiana fans hope
The 23-year-old point guard’s last game was on July 15, when she injured her right groin in a victory over the Connecticut Sun. Up to that point, she had averaged 16.5 points, 8.8 assists, and 5.0 rebounds in those 13 games.
Then, in August, came her ankle sprain, and after several months of uncertainty and arduous recovery, the team finally announced that Clark would be unavailable for the rest of the year with three games remaining in the regular season.
However, Fever head coach Stephanie White shared Caitlin’s great progress in her recovery. She has returned to participating in 2-on-2 and 3-on-3 drills and plans to return to full 5-on-5 practices, but they are taking it slowly: “We’re not jumping into anything that’s too much,” White began in a recent interview with IndyStar.
“We have the ability to right now take it on a week-by-week basis, doing some 3-on-3, doing some 2-on-2, building into 5-on-5. Her being able to play in game-like situations is going to be important. It’s been a long time building back into that, but it is October, and she needs to be able to slowly build back so, from an endurance standpoint, she’s laying a really good foundation so she’s not having any setbacks or any regression,” the 48-year-old coach continued.
In addition, White empathized with Clark’s situation after the setbacks she suffered and the frustration felt by the two-time All-Star: “While it’s frustrating, it’s important that we get her back at 100% and that she’s comfortable, she’s confident, that she’s healthy, and that we can move forward in a way that continues to build for her career and her franchise.”
Now, as she recovers from her injury, Clark is preparing for her third season in the league and with the Indiana Fever, where she will seek to regain her leadership and shine on the court again after her long absence.
CC, Aliyah Boston, and Makayla Timpson are the only players who remain under contract through 2026, while the rest of her teammates have become free agents, so it will also be interesting to see who will accompany Clark next year. Without a doubt, the upcoming season will be full of surprises.
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