INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White took a deep breath when she heard Caitlin Clark’s injury update Thursday.
No further injuries were discovered during this week’s evaluations on her injured left groin.
And with no timetable for Clark’s return, the Fever will be relegated to playing the waiting game as they move forward without the two-time All-Star.
“I think that’s big for the mindset of our group to know that we’ve got to continue to grow and connected in those ways and not is she available, will she, will she not practice?” White said during her pregame news conference. “It’s one of the disruptions that comes with some of that. So there’s clarity and I think that’s good for everyone, I think that’s good for Caitlin, too.”
Clark has had three muscle injuries this season. She sat out Thursday against Las Vegas, her 12th missed game of the season after never missing a game during her career at Iowa or last year when she broke the WNBA’s single-season record for assists and won the league’s Rookie of the Year Award.
Clark did not speak with reporters before Thursday’s game.
But this season has been filled with frustration because of the constant starts and stops for Clark.
While she has played in 13 games this season, her 16.5-point scoring average and shooting percentages of 41.7% from the field and 27.9% on 3-pointers are all down from 2024. Her 8.8 assists per game, though, is an increase from 8.4 last season.
Clark appeared to be rounding into form as the Fever went on a three-game winning streak before the All-Star break, then got hurt again in the final minute of a July 15 victory at Connecticut. She sat out the back-to-back games against defending champion New York that ended the first half and started the second half and her absence Thursday at home disappointed many of the fans who came dressed in Clark jerseys or were carrying signs for Clark.
They’re not the only ones taking it hard.
“When the (latest) injury happened, it was pretty frustrating considering I knew what the coming days were going to hold for myself,” Clark said before Saturday’s All-Star Game, which she also skipped. “I’m also trying to look at it in the most positive manner I can.”
White said Sunday that Clark would travel to New York to visit more doctors, and White also acknowledged nagging muscle injuries sometimes won’t be fully healed until players can rest during the offseason.
For now, Sophie Cunningham will continue to start as Clark works with the team’s medical staff during her recovery.
“It’s definitely a relief to know there’s nothing else going on and no problem, no more damage,” White said. “Now it’s just being patient with the process.”
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