Caitlin Clark injury update highlights Indiana Fever concern before WNBA season

Caitlin Clark’s lingering leg injury is a cause for concern for the Indiana Fever, with head coach Stephanie White telling reporters the team is talking a cautious approach with the star

Caitlin Clark’s leg injury has the Indiana Fever working carefully to resolve to ensure she’s not lost for an extended period.

The superstar was originally ruled out of the Fever’s first preseason game against the Washington Mystics with a left leg injury, with Indiana coming away with the win thanks to a game-winning shot from new addition Sophie Cunningham. Clark suited up to play against the Brazilian National Team in front of her fans in Iowa and appeared to be no worse for wear.

In 19 minutes of action, Clark scored 16 points, including a majestic 3-pointer that was inches away from where she hit her record-breaking shot to make her women’s college basketball’s all-time scorer. And while the star looked impressive in her short stint, head coach Stephanie White admitted the Fever are taking their time evaluating Clark’s leg.

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,” White said to reporters Wednesday, per the Indy Star. She added that Indiana will go by what the medical staff decides.

White continued: “We’re really relying on the training staff, and she’s making great progress. And that’s what we need, just to make sure that we’re super cautious.”

The Fever head coach’s comments come after she told reporters that no player would see extended playing time during the preseason. “This is more of an evaluating phase for us,” she said before Indiana’s matchup with Washington.

Caitlin Clark didn’t appear to be too hampered by her leg injury, scoring 16 points in 19 minutes of action(Image: Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images)

“Nobody is gonna play a ton of minutes; I want to make sure we get a true sense of where we are.”

When asked about Clark’s status for the Brazil contest in Iowa, White added: “As far as status update, she had a lot of progress in the last 24 hours, and that was our goal. Our goal is to see how she progresses every day, so we’ll see what happens and see how she feels after the workout she went through today.

“Hopefully she’ll be ready to go tomorrow.” Heading into the Fever’s matchup with the Mystics, even Clark was sure she would be ready to go until moments before the game, telling reporters: “I’ll go through all our warmups and everything — and then they’ll decide if I’m good to go or not.”

Given the attention Clark and the Fever have received and the increased expectations, White claimed she would do what is needed to “protect” her team. “Certainly, we’re not shying away from the position that we’re in, but we also have to create layers and boundaries around ourselves,” she said.