Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark will be reevaluated this weekend after suffering a left quadriceps injury that has kept her off the court for the last three games. While there is a possibility she could return on Tuesday, the 2024 number one draft pick has made it clear that she will not force her return.
I will miss this weekend’s game against the Chicago Sky, but after that, it’s day-to-day and see how I feel, and defer to the medical staff and what they think. I feel like I’ve made a lot of progress and I feel good, and I’m not going to rush my return. It’s just not worth it. But after this weekend, they’ll re-evaluate me and we’ll have a better idea of when I’ll be back.
Caitlin Clark
After the game against the Sky, the Fever will face two of the strongest teams in the league consecutively: on June 10 against the Atlanta Dream and on June 14 against the current champions, the New York Liberty.
Clark spoke to reporters on Thursday for the first time since it was announced that he would be out for at least two weeks due to a quadriceps injury, marking the first time in his college and professional career that he has missed games. The player suffered the injury at the beginning of the Fever’s loss on May 24 against the New York Liberty. Clark had already experienced discomfort in her left quadriceps during training, but the Fever have classified this injury as something new and different.I think it’s been different. Having a good perspective is the best way to approach it. Yes, you can get frustrated and so on. But the medical team has done a very good job with my rehabilitation every day, maintaining a routine, coming in, taking shots. But more than anything, I think I focus on being a very good teammate.
Caitlin Clark
Clark has also highlighted the difficulty of not being able to train. He did not participate in the portion of the training that was open to the media on Thursday, where the team conducted a shooting drill.
I love to train, I love to improve, so I think that has been the moment to really find some patience. I have never been a patient person in my entire life, so this is definitely testing me a bit, but I think it will be very good for me… I can’t change it, but I think my patience has definitely grown a lot.
Caitlin Clark
Coach Stephanie White has also highlighted that she wants Clark to use her injury as an opportunity to learn from the sidelines. Clark has sat alongside the coaching staff on the bench to listen to their perspectives during games and has prioritized being a constant voice for her teammates, as well as a “connector” between the coaches and the players.
Indiana (3-5) has achieved a 1-2 record in Clark’s absence, although the Fever have also had to deal with Sophie Cunningham’s (ankle) injury and had to sign Aari McDonald on an emergency contract after not having 10 players available.She has taught me a lot. I’ve never been in that position before to be able to observe from the bench for an extended period of time… It’s the same as when you turn on the TV and watch the NBA or watch other WNBA games: that’s the best way to learn basketball, is just to watch and absorb it, and it’s the same when I’m not active, as well.
Caitlin Clark
Clark added that they could improve on defense.I think they’ve been very resilient. It’s hard when your base, who controls a lot of the game, is out and people have had to step into positions they might not have had. I think giving each other grace. Things aren’t going to be perfect. We’re playing a little different than we probably would if I had the ball in my hands. I think we played a great game in our last game against the Mystics. I think we started to flow a little better on offense. We played with a little more pace.
Caitlin Clark
