Fever star Clark (quad) could return next week

INDIANAPOLIS - Indiana Fever prima Caitlin Clark volition beryllium re-evaluated this play arsenic she looks to travel backmost from a near quad strain that has sidelined her for the past 3 games. While it is imaginable she could beryllium backmost arsenic aboriginal arsenic Tuesday, the 2024 No. 1 prime said she volition not unreserved her return.

"I'll miss this weekend's crippled [Saturday against the Chicago Sky], but aft that, it's day-by-day and spot however I feel, and conscionable crook to the aesculapian unit and what they think," Clark said. "I consciousness similar I've made a batch of advancement and I consciousness good, and I'm not going to unreserved coming back. It's conscionable not worthy it. But aft this weekend, I'll beryllium reevaluated and we'll person a amended thought of erstwhile I'll return."

After the Sky, the Fever play 2 of the apical teams successful the league consecutively: the Atlanta Dream connected June 10 and past the defending champion New York Liberty connected June 14.

"We'll see," Clark said connected her presumption for Tuesday. "We're trying not to enactment an nonstop day retired there, due to the fact that it is benignant of a day-by-day happening and spot however I feel. It's the benignant of wounded like, you don't know, erstwhile I aftermath up, I'll consciousness antithetic than the time before. We'll see. It could beryllium a possibility, but I could besides not beryllium disposable for that game, too."

Clark spoke to reporters connected Thursday for the archetypal clip since being ruled retired connected Memorial Day for astatine slightest 2 weeks with the quad strain, marking the archetypal clip crossed her collegiate and pro careers that she's ever been missed games.

She said that she suffered the wounded aboriginal successful the Fever's May 24 nonaccomplishment to the New York Liberty. Clark was dealing with quad tightness earlier successful grooming camp, besides connected the near leg, but the Fever person called this a separate, caller injury.

"I deliberation it's been different," Clark said of being out. "Just having bully position is the champion mode to attack it. Yeah, you tin beryllium frustrated and whatnot. But the aesculapian squad has done a truly bully occupation of doing my rehab each azygous day, staying successful a routine, coming in, getting shots up. But much than anything, I deliberation conscionable focusing connected being a truly bully teammate."

Not being capable to practice, Clark said, has often been the hardest portion of being injured. Clark did not enactment successful the information of signifier that was unfastened to media connected Thursday, a agelong wherever the squad competed successful a shooting drill.

"I emotion practice, I emotion getting better, truthful I deliberation that's been the clip for maine to truly find immoderate patience," Clark said. "I've ne'er been a diligent idiosyncratic my full life, truthful this is decidedly investigating maine a small bit, but I deliberation it's going to beryllium truly bully for me... I can't alteration it but I deliberation my patience has decidedly grown a lot."

Coach Stephanie White besides said she wanted Clark to usage her wounded arsenic an accidental to larn from the sidelines. Clark has sat adjacent to the unit connected the seat truthful she tin perceive their perspectives arsenic games unfold and said she's prioritized being a accordant dependable for her teammates arsenic good arsenic a "connector" betwixt coaches and players.

"It's taught maine a lot," Clark said of watching from the sidelines. "I've ne'er been successful that presumption earlier of really getting to ticker from the seat for an extended play of time. ... It's the aforesaid arsenic you crook connected the TV and ticker the NBA oregon you ticker different WNBA games -- that's the champion mode to larn basketball, is conscionable ticker and sorb it, and it's the aforesaid erstwhile I'm not active, too."

Indiana (3-5) has gone 1-2 successful Clark's absence, though the Fever person besides dealt with an wounded to Sophie Cunningham (ankle) and had to bring successful Aari McDonald connected a hardship declaration aft falling abbreviated of 10 disposable players.

"I deliberation they've been truly resilient," Clark said of the team, which conscionable snapped a three-game losing streak with a triumph Tuesday implicit the Washington Mystics. "It's hard erstwhile your constituent defender goes retired that controls a batch of the crippled and radical person had to measurement into positions that possibly they haven't had. I deliberation conscionable giving themselves grace. Things aren't going to beryllium perfect. We're benignant of playing a small spot antithetic than we'd astir apt play if I had the shot successful my hands. I thought we played a truly large crippled our past crippled versus Mystics. I thought we started to travel a small spot amended connected offense. We played with a small much pace.

"But it wasn't conscionable offense. I thought we could person played a batch amended defensively. So I deliberation conscionable those small areas that we could person cleaned up, that whether I'm retired determination oregon not, those are things that we could bash amended and beryllium amended in, and Steph has truly challenged them."