Clark recovers: He doesn’t practice with Fever, but he progresses

Caitlin Clark Progresses in Her Recovery, But Remains Off the Court

Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White reported this Monday on the status of star Caitlin Clark, who is recovering from a right groin injury. Although Clark is showing progress, she is not yet participating in training. Clark suffered the injury in the last minute of the 85-77 victory against the Connecticut Sun on July 15th. The team has already confirmed her absence in the next match against the Dallas Wings, where she would face rookie Paige Bueckers. At the moment, there is no defined date for the return of one of the league’s most outstanding players.

“He hasn’t returned to training, but he has been able to run a little more across the court with all his body weight,” White stated after the training. “He’s going from doing the bare minimum to building endurance for longer periods. He has been able to do a little more on the court in terms of how he moves, but not in the form of training.”

Stephanie White, Indiana Fever Coach

Clark started running all over the court last week. This season, Clark has had to sit out 19 of 32 games due to three different muscle injuries. Despite this, Indiana has maintained a 10-9 record without Clark, including a 6-2 in the last eight games, despite losing two more guards, Sydney Colson and Aari McDonald, to injuries that prevent them from playing the rest of the season. Colson suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in last week’s loss against Phoenix. McDonald will be out due to a fracture in a bone in his right foot, an injury that occurred in the same game. Despite having only nine active players and no pure point guard, Indiana defeated the Chicago Sky with a score of 92-70 on Saturday. On Sunday, the Fever signed an emergency contract with Odyssey Sims, who averaged 11.2 points, 3.8 assists, and 2.5 rebounds during her 11-year career, including an All-Star selection in 2019. Before her latest injury, Clark, the WNBA Rookie of the Year last season, averaged 16.5 points, 8.8 assists, and 5.0 rebounds. During the offseason, the Fever focused on building a winning supporting cast around Clark. Even without Clark, Indiana has an 18-14 record and is in fifth place in the standings, allowing them to remain in contention for home-court advantage in the first round.