Uncertainty Continues for Caitlin Clark, Fever With WNBA Playoffs Looming

The Indiana Fever thought Caitlin Clark‘s return might solve their wild first-half ride. They were getting healthy, beating good teams and starting to meet expectations.

Then the two-time All-Star got hurt again in the final minute of last Tuesday’s game at Connecticut. Indiana lost by double digits the next night to defending champion New York.

Clark missed last weekend’s All-Star festivities in Indianapolis and is likely to sit out Tuesday night when the Fever again play the Liberty. It’s all creating uncertainty about Clark and Indiana’s championship aspirations.

“These soft tissue injuries sometimes nag until you can actually have time to really allow them to heal in the offseason,” Indiana coach Stephanie White said after Sunday’s practice. “So we’ll just take it one day at a time and we’ll continue, as a group, to progress together.”

Neither White nor Clark have provided a timetable for Clark’s return.

As a rookie, Clark helped the Fever snap a six-year playoff drought, and she had 40 points, 29 assists, six steals and 10 turnovers in 79 minutes during the three-game winning streak before her latest injury.

Her name and that of the league’s other superstars have packed arenas and been the focal point of broadcast deals.

Amid a rash of injuries, the WNBA needs its top players on the court more than ever. According to The Next, which tracks injuries in the league, there have been more than 140 injuries so far this season.

Those numbers fed into last weekend’s debate over whether league officials should consider extending the season next year now that teams are playing 44 games instead of 40.

“I feel there [HAS] been fairly just a few accidents over the course of the start of this season for fairly just a few individuals,” Clark mentioned Saturday, noting some accidents created minutes restrictions for different All-Star alternatives. “Lots of people have been in the identical boat as myself.”

[MORE: WNBA All-Stars Wear ‘Pay Us’ T-Shirts Amid Ongoing CBA Deal Negotiations]

Merely extending the season creates yet one more downside — competing in opposition to the NFL and college football telecasts deeper into September. That is one thing that could possibly be resolved in a brand new collective bargaining settlement.

Till then, although, Indiana should study to take care of Clark’s third absence this season, up to now leading to 10 missed video games. Clark didn’t miss a single recreation in faculty or her rookie season with the Fever.

Indiana has maintained a profitable report (12-11) and playoff positioning regardless of the accidents. The Fever have been additionally capable of win the Commissioner’s Cup over Minnesota with a 74-59 win with out Clark.

The staff additionally overcame the departure of DeWanna Bonner, who misplaced her beginning job after three video games and performed in solely 9 earlier than being waived and returning to Phoenix.

And, after all, it took time for everybody to get on the identical web page following an enormous offseason overhaul that included the hiring of a brand new common supervisor, Amber Cox; the return of White — Indiana’s unique No. 22; and the addition of different gamers with title-winning expertise.

“I believe it’s been a rollercoaster experience with peaks and valleys, accidents, switching lineups,” three-time All-Star guard Kelsey Mitchell mentioned. “I believe that’s a part of being knowledgeable athlete, however I believe you could undergo issues like this to be one of many groups they discuss on the finish of the season.”

The Fever imagine they’ll nonetheless be a kind of groups.

With Mitchell main Indiana in scoring at 19.1 factors per recreation and All-Star middle Aliyah Boston showcasing a niftier passing recreation to go together with averages of 15.8 factors and seven.6 rebounds, Indiana nonetheless has two of its foundational pillars on the court docket.

Indiana additionally has extra choices, corresponding to ahead Natasha Howard and backup guard Sophie Cunningham to assist fill within the gaps till Clark returns.

“Consistency, consideration to element, ensuring defensively we’re a beast unit,” Cunningham mentioned as she recognized different wanted fixes. “I believe all of it begins on the defensive finish with our depth and our aggressiveness. Once we try this, we are inclined to win these ballgames. You are going to have a bit of little bit of slippage from time to time, however you’ll be able to’t have landslides.”

Finally, although, the lingering query is whether or not Clark can keep wholesome lengthy sufficient to push Indiana into championship place.

“Working your approach again into it’s actually tough,” White mentioned. “She has to provide herself some grace. She’s getting back from an damage.”

Reporting by The Related Press.

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