Caitlin Clark says she’s made progress, but won’t commit to return date after injury: ‘I’m not going to rush my way back’

The Indiana Fever got some positive news Thursday. Star guard Caitlin Clark has made strong progress after sustaining a left quad injury in May. While Clark wouldn’t commit to a return date, it appears she’s inching closer to a return.

Clark made her first public comments Thursday since sustaining that injury. The 23-year-old said she would be reevaluated over the weekend, meaning she’ll miss the team’s game against the Chicago Sky on Saturday.

Clark left the door open for a return ahead of the team’s game against the Atlanta Dream on Tuesday, though.

Clark has already missed three games due to the injury, which she sustained during the team’s 90-88 loss to the New York Liberty on May 24. Clark said Thursday that she didn’t know when she sustained the injury, saying adrenaline covered up her pain during the contest.

Two days after that loss, the Fever announced Clark’s injury. In its initial injury report, the team said it expected Clark to miss two weeks due to the issue. This injury was unrelated to the one that caused Clark to miss the team’s first preseason game. Clark sat out of that contest due to a left quad injury, but was able to return ahead of the team’s second preseason game.

The Fever have gone 1-2 in Clark’s absence. After dropping the first two games without Clark, the team defeated the Washington Mystics on Tuesday, picking up its first win since Clark’s injury

Clark was off to a strong start prior to the injury. In four games, she averaged 19 points, 9.3 assists and 6 rebounds. Those figures were extremely close to what Clark averaged as a rookie, when she finished fourth in the MVP voting.

Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston have stepped it up on offense in Clark’s absence. Both players have scored double-digit points in every game since Clark’s injury. They’ll look to make it four in a row when the Fever take on the Sky on Saturday