When or if Caitlin Clark will return to the basketball court this season is the burning question for the WNBA these days with the playoffs around the corner.
Clark, 23, has been out since July 15 due to a right-side groin injury she suffered in a game against the Connecticut Sun, and her absence has so far amounted to six missed weeks. She has missed 28 games overall this season due to multiple injuries—a significant loss for the superstar and the league that erupted in popularity since she became a top draft pick and Rookie of the Year in 2024.
Meanwhile, her team, the Indiana Fever, remains in the hunt for the final playoff spot with a 21–20 record and just three games remaining in the regular season to lock up a playoff spot. Clark is just one of multiple Fever players out as the team makes a playoff push, but the Fever also hasn’t revealed if or when Clark will take the court to aid the team’s postseason efforts.
In 13 games this season, she has averaged 16.5 points, five rebounds, and 8.8 assists per game. That’s second on the team for scoring behind fellow guard Kelsey Mitchell, and Clark is the team’s top distributor in addition to being a dangerous long-range shooter.
Clark showed promise of coming back on Tuesday when she participated in 5-on-0 drills with the backups at practice before a game with the Phoenix Mercury. Clark hasn’t participated in drills involving contact at practice yet.
Indiana fell to the Mercury 85–79 that night, and the Fever’s record dropped to 13–12 with Clark out.
Indiana hosts the Chicago Sky (10–30) on Saturday, and then will visit the Washington Mystics (16–25) on Sunday. The Fever close out the regular season against the league-leading Minnesota Lynx (32–8) on Sept. 9.
As White mentioned, the Fever must weigh whether or not to play Clark again this season in light of future possibilities with her career in Indianapolis versus the prospects of making a championship run this season. The Fever likely can’t do much better than the No. 8 seed since the Seattle Storm (22–20) and Golden State Valkyries (22-18) have sufficient leads to keep their respective playoff spots.
Indiana also has to fend off the Los Angeles Sparks (19–21) in the race for the final spot. In addition, no team lower than a No. 6 seed has ever won the WNBA title. The Sky did it in 2021 as the No. 6 seed.
“I think oftentimes if you start to look too far ahead, you miss opportunities that are right in front of you,” she added.
While the Fever still have opportunities, getting fully healthy as a team isn’t one. The Fever already lost Sydney Colson to an ACL tear, Aari McDonald to a broken foot, and Sophie Cunningham to a torn MCL.
That has forced newer players such as Aerial Powers, Odyssey Sims, and Shey Peddy to take on more responsibilities. All three joined the team within the last month.
“We’re talking about implementing three new players that are playing a lot of minutes for us,” White explained. “So some of our defensive coverages are different, a little bit different, and making sure that we’re in tune to whatever we’re doing.”
“And if we need to make adjustments, we need to make sure everyone’s on the same page,” she added.
The Fever and Clark ultimately will need to make a decision on if she plays again this season. If she returns, the Fever will be the road team for every playoff series, which could be up to 15 games among the three rounds of the postseason.
