A nagging injury to Caitlin Clark could torpedo her season

Treading carefully

Treading carefully, Basketball blues, Critical subplot, Uncertain origin, Overdoing it, Specifics, One speed, Stephanie says, Iron woman, Monitoring Mitchell, Stephanie speaks, Checking on Cunningham, Recovery, Trust the process

Caitlin Clark is certainly the most important player on the Indiana Fever, and could very well be the most important player in the entire league. Her preseason has gotten off to somewhat of a slow start as she deals with a nagging leg injury.

Basketball blues

Treading carefully, Basketball blues, Critical subplot, Uncertain origin, Overdoing it, Specifics, One speed, Stephanie says, Iron woman, Monitoring Mitchell, Stephanie speaks, Checking on Cunningham, Recovery, Trust the process

However, their grand plans could be derailed if an injury to star guard Caitlin Clark continues to linger.

Critical subplot

Treading carefully, Basketball blues, Critical subplot, Uncertain origin, Overdoing it, Specifics, One speed, Stephanie says, Iron woman, Monitoring Mitchell, Stephanie speaks, Checking on Cunningham, Recovery, Trust the process

This is going to be an important story to monitor considering that Clark does it all for the Fever. She’s their primary ballhandler, top scorer and playmaker. Any injury to the head of their attack could be too much to overcome.

Uncertain origin

Treading carefully, Basketball blues, Critical subplot, Uncertain origin, Overdoing it, Specifics, One speed, Stephanie says, Iron woman, Monitoring Mitchell, Stephanie speaks, Checking on Cunningham, Recovery, Trust the process

Clark told the Indianapolis Star that she’s not exactly sure when the injury took place, but it seems like it was picked up as she and her Fever teammates were ramping up for the regular season.

Overdoing it

Treading carefully, Basketball blues, Critical subplot, Uncertain origin, Overdoing it, Specifics, One speed, Stephanie says, Iron woman, Monitoring Mitchell, Stephanie speaks, Checking on Cunningham, Recovery, Trust the process

She said, “Probably just a little too much basketball. I love being in the gym, but I think understanding when to be in the gym and when to recover, things like that, I think it’s just finding a balance and obviously getting back in the swing of things.”

Specifics

Treading carefully, Basketball blues, Critical subplot, Uncertain origin, Overdoing it, Specifics, One speed, Stephanie says, Iron woman, Monitoring Mitchell, Stephanie speaks, Checking on Cunningham, Recovery, Trust the process

Clark mentioned that the injury was “just a little tightness” in her quad muscle. She missed Indiana’s first preseason game against the Washington Mystics, but has played in games since then.

One speed

Treading carefully, Basketball blues, Critical subplot, Uncertain origin, Overdoing it, Specifics, One speed, Stephanie says, Iron woman, Monitoring Mitchell, Stephanie speaks, Checking on Cunningham, Recovery, Trust the process

As Clark alluded to in her quote, she only knows one way to play. The Fever will have to keep an eye on her to make sure she isn’t making the injury worse. The star guard said, “When I’m in practice, I’m full go. I’m not limited in any regard in the drills I’m in. The past few days I’ve been pretty active, but there’s no reason to really overdo anything right now.”

Stephanie says

Treading carefully, Basketball blues, Critical subplot, Uncertain origin, Overdoing it, Specifics, One speed, Stephanie says, Iron woman, Monitoring Mitchell, Stephanie speaks, Checking on Cunningham, Recovery, Trust the process

Head coach Stephanie White told CBS Sports, “She’s been limited in practice, so we’re still very cautious about working her way back and really letting her body kind of tell her how much she’s able to do. We’re really relying on the training staff, and she’s making great progress. And that’s what we need, just to make sure we’re super cautious.”

Iron woman

Treading carefully, Basketball blues, Critical subplot, Uncertain origin, Overdoing it, Specifics, One speed, Stephanie says, Iron woman, Monitoring Mitchell, Stephanie speaks, Checking on Cunningham, Recovery, Trust the process

This might be a bit of unchartered territory for Clark. As noted by ESPN, she never missed a game during her four-year college career at the University of Iowa. She also played in all 40 regular season games for Indiana in 2024.

Monitoring Mitchell

Treading carefully, Basketball blues, Critical subplot, Uncertain origin, Overdoing it, Specifics, One speed, Stephanie says, Iron woman, Monitoring Mitchell, Stephanie speaks, Checking on Cunningham, Recovery, Trust the process

Mitchell spent the WNBA offseason playing in China, and hurt her finger during competition overseas. Her finger is visibly crooked, and she told Athlon Sports, “I didn’t do rehab. No one fixed it… No one helped me out in China… Probably healing on its own now. Nothing I can really do about it.”

Stephanie speaks

Treading carefully, Basketball blues, Critical subplot, Uncertain origin, Overdoing it, Specifics, One speed, Stephanie says, Iron woman, Monitoring Mitchell, Stephanie speaks, Checking on Cunningham, Recovery, Trust the process

Coach White told Athlon Sports, “I forgot about Kelsey’s finger. I mean, she was playing great with it overseas, too. I mean, certainly, you know, her shot’s a little funky in the way that it releases anyway, and I think that she’s learned to protect it. So for her, it’s like, she’s efficient, she’s effective, until she starts complaining about it hurting, no concern.”

Checking on Cunningham

Treading carefully, Basketball blues, Critical subplot, Uncertain origin, Overdoing it, Specifics, One speed, Stephanie says, Iron woman, Monitoring Mitchell, Stephanie speaks, Checking on Cunningham, Recovery, Trust the process

Indiana is hoping that important offseason acquisition Sophie Cunningham will also be ready to go when the regular season tips off. She’s dealing with a right ankle injury that she suffered in the preseason. According to The Athletic, Cunningham was spotted wearing a protective boot after the game.

Recovery

Treading carefully, Basketball blues, Critical subplot, Uncertain origin, Overdoing it, Specifics, One speed, Stephanie says, Iron woman, Monitoring Mitchell, Stephanie speaks, Checking on Cunningham, Recovery, Trust the process

Coach White told the Indianapolis Star of Cunningham’s injury, “She was in there getting a cold tub. She keeps telling me she’ll be fine, so I trust her.”

Trust the process

Treading carefully, Basketball blues, Critical subplot, Uncertain origin, Overdoing it, Specifics, One speed, Stephanie says, Iron woman, Monitoring Mitchell, Stephanie speaks, Checking on Cunningham, Recovery, Trust the process

White is juggling a bunch of new players on the roster, and this is also her first season as head coach of the Feve r(albeit in her second stint with the team). She told The Athletic, “I don’t anticipate us being where we want to be (at the start of the season). My goal is All-Star break, so I have that in mind in terms of our progression.”

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