Caitlin Clark immediately dismisses limiting her performance against Liberty

Caitlin Clark will return to the court for the first time since May 24 today as the Fever hosts the Liberty at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. A lot of questions have been raised about Clark's overall fitness and preparation, and in a pregame press conference she made sure to make it clear she plans to play as much of the game as possible.

When asked if she will be on restricted minutes, Clark had a quick and pointed reply. "Not that I've been told, I don't anticipate a certain level. I'm not a huge fan of my restrictions. I think that's silly, I've told them I don't wanna come back unless I'm 100% full go, why would I be out there to play 20 minutes?" she explained.

"I'm out there to win and give everything I have for this team. So my rotations might just be a little shorter to keep me a little fresher. I haven't played a game in three weeks now, so my lungs might be a little bit different," Clark added.

Her comments reflect those of Coach White, who previously told reporters Clark would return when she was fully ready to play her best game of basketball. Sophie Cunningham, who reinjured her ankle on May 30, will also return today.

The Fever-Liberty rematch will be intense

The last time the teams met at Gainbridge, the Fever lost by a mere two points — a loss that's likely still fresh in the team's minds, especially as the weeks without Clark on the floor have been volatile and unpredictable. Today's game is guaranteed to be dramatic and, to be blunt, loud — Fever fans will be on fire knowing that their star player is back on the floor.

The Fever will have to contend with the absence of DeWanna Bonner, who has been out this week due to personal reasons. The team has not elaborated on what that might mean.

Eyes will also be trained on viewership numbers for today's game. A massive 2.2 million people tuned in to see the two teams face off in May, and there's a distinct possibility that Clark's return to the hardwood could blow that number out of the water.

That would be excellent for the WNBA, as the league has seen a deep drop-off in terms of viewership in recent weeks. The Fever are set to be featured in 41 nationally televised games this season, a first for any team in league history. Clark's first four games were shown on ABC, NBA TV, Prime Video, and CBS, respectively. Since then, the team's games have aired nationally on NBA TV, ION, NBA TV, and CBS. The team's fifth game against the Dream was not broadcast nationally, and all the games are also available on WNBA League Pass.

The latest reports state nationally-televised WNBA viewership is down 55% and the Fever's nationally televised games are down 53%. Those numbers are big, but there's little more to it than what's been initially reported.