INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark will probably be re-evaluated this weekend as she appears to be like to come back again from a left quad pressure that has sidelined her for the final three video games. Whereas it’s doable she may very well be again as early as Tuesday, the 2024 No. 1 choose mentioned she won’t rush her return.
“I am going to miss this weekend’s sport [Saturday against the Chicago Sky], however after that, it is day-by-day and see how I really feel, and simply flip to the medical employees and what they assume,” Clark mentioned. “I really feel like I’ve made lots of progress and I really feel good, and I am not going to hurry coming again. It is simply not price it. However after this weekend, I will be reevaluated and we’ll have a greater concept of once I’ll return.”
After the Sky, the Fever play two of the highest groups within the league consecutively: the Atlanta Dream on June 10 after which the defending champion New York Liberty on June 14.
“We’ll see,” Clark mentioned on her standing for Tuesday. “We’re making an attempt to not put an actual date on the market, as a result of it’s sort of a day-by-day factor and see how I really feel. It is the kind of harm like, you do not know, once I get up, I am going to really feel totally different than the day earlier than. We’ll see. It may very well be a risk, however I might additionally not be out there for that sport, too.”
Clark spoke to reporters on Thursday for the primary time since being dominated out on Memorial Day for no less than two weeks with the quad pressure, marking the primary time throughout her collegiate and professional careers that she’s ever been missed video games.
She mentioned that she suffered the harm early within the Fever’s Could 24 loss to the New York Liberty. Clark was coping with quad tightness earlier in coaching camp, additionally on the left leg, however the Fever have known as this a separate, new harm.
“I feel it has been totally different,” Clark mentioned of being out. “Simply having good perspective is one of the best ways to method it. Yeah, you could be annoyed and whatnot. However the medical staff has executed a very good job of doing my rehab each single day, staying in a routine, coming in, getting pictures up. However greater than something, I feel simply specializing in being a very good teammate.”
Not having the ability to observe, Clark mentioned, has typically been the toughest a part of being injured. Clark didn’t take part within the portion of observe that was open to media on Thursday, a stretch the place the staff competed in a taking pictures drill.
“I really like observe, I really like getting higher, so I feel that is been the time for me to actually discover some endurance,” Clark mentioned. “I’ve by no means been a affected person particular person my total life, so that is positively testing me a little bit bit, however I feel it’ll be actually good for me… I am unable to change it however I feel my endurance has positively grown so much.”
Coach Stephanie White additionally mentioned she wished Clark to make use of her harm as a chance to be taught from the sidelines. Clark has sat subsequent to the employees on the bench so she will be able to hear their views as video games unfold and mentioned she’s prioritized being a constant voice for her teammates in addition to a “connector” between coaches and gamers.
“It is taught me so much,” Clark mentioned of watching from the sidelines. “I’ve by no means been in that place earlier than of truly getting to observe from the bench for an prolonged time frame. … It is the identical as you activate the TV and watch the NBA otherwise you watch different WNBA video games — that is one of the best ways to be taught basketball, is simply watch and soak up it, and it is the identical once I’m not lively, too.”
Indiana (3-5) has gone 1-2 in Clark’s absence, although the Fever have additionally handled an harm to Sophie Cunningham (ankle) and had to herald Aari McDonald on a hardship contract after falling wanting 10 out there gamers.
“I feel they have been actually resilient,” Clark mentioned of the staff, which simply snapped a three-game dropping streak with a win Tuesday over the Washington Mystics. “It is laborious when your level guard goes out that controls lots of the sport and other people have needed to step into positions that possibly they have not had. I feel simply giving themselves grace. Issues aren’t going to be excellent. We’re sort of enjoying a little bit bit totally different than we might most likely play if I had the ball in my fingers. I assumed we performed a very nice sport our final sport versus Mystics. I assumed we began to circulation a little bit bit higher on offense. We performed with a little bit extra tempo.
“But it surely wasn’t simply offense. I assumed we might have performed so much higher defensively. So I feel simply these little areas that we might have cleaned up, that whether or not I am on the market or not, these are issues that we might do higher and be higher in, and Steph has actually challenged them.”
