Stephanie White, Indiana Fever head coach, says she “hopes” Caitlin Clark can play in Wednesday’s match against the Golden State Valkyries. The Fever guard is still recovering from a left groin injury, which has left her out since June 26.
“I hope so,” White said when asked if Clark would play against the Valkyries on Wednesday, according to IndyStar’s Chloe Peterson. White explained that Clark has been adding “a little bit more” workload each day, and they are evaluating her progress every day.
“How does she feel? How does she look? What does recovery look like? And so this was really the first time we’ve been able to get around as live action. So, we’ll see what it brings tomorrow,” she added.
On Monday, Clark took part in the 5-on-5 segment of practice, which was open to season-ticket holders, for the first time since sustaining her injury. She appeared to be moving at full speed, running the court and taking shots as usual.
The groin injury has kept Clark sidelined for five straight games. It’s the second injury she’s dealt with this season. In total, she has missed 10 of the Fever’s 18 games so far, having previously been out for five games due to a left quad issue earlier in the year.
The Fever’s record without Clark
While White has said she doesn’t want to risk Clark and that the priority is for her to be 100% healthy, there’s pressure on the Fever. Indiana is 5-5 without Clark, and it is 9-9 overall in the Eastern Conference, ranking third.
To compensate for Clark’s absence, Indiana re-signed Aari McDonald after waiving DeWanna Bonner, who felt she wasn’t a good fit for the team. For now, McDonald has been starting alongside Sophie Cunningham.