Update on Caitlin Clark's availability for Commissioner's Cup game is bleak

Since the time of publishing, Clark was ruled OUT by the Indiana Fever for tonight's Commissioner's Cup game against the Lynx.

The Commissioner's Cup final between the Indiana Fever and Minnesota Lynx has hit a snag with the availability of Caitlin Clark for the contest up in the air hours before tip off.

Head coach Stephanie White told reporters on Tuesday afternoon that Clark would be a "game time decision," as Clark was also not available at opening shoot around with the rest of the Fever players set to be available for the contest.

Clark has missed the last two games for Indiana with a groin injury, which is yet another snag in her season after also sitting out for about two weeks with a quad injury earlier in the year. Without her in the lineup, the Fever are 3-4, and the team also just re-signed Aari McDonald to a deal to act as her replacement while she recovers from this new injury.

While the Fever may not lose much with Clark out on the defensive end of the floor, no Clark means they need to have a very balanced - and potent - attack on offense between Kelsey Mitchell, Aliyah Boston, Lexie Hull, and Natasha Howard. All four have been fantastic as of late for the team, so Indiana will need to hope they can keep it going against a tough Minnesota defense.

Clark's availability for Commissioner's Cup game

The Fever are probably trying to ensure that Clark gets as much rest as possible prior to the game by not having her participate in shootaround prior to the game. But, they should also be trying to not rush her back like how they seemingly rushed her back from her quad injury.

While a Commissioner's Cup championship could be huge for the momentum of the Fever moving forward, it won't be the be all end all of the team's season.

READ MORE: Fever have to lean on secret weapon to shut down Lynx in Commissioner’s Cup final

Indiana has yet to get consistent play from Clark this entire season so far, but we've yet to hit the halfway mark of the year which makes it hard to draw any finite conclusions about the direction of the Fever for the rest of the regular season. But, Clark is also a fierce competitor, so it shouldn't be shocking to see her play for a bit in this game as a means of acting as a decoy on offense.

McDonald will need to do more than just be an excellent perimeter defender in this one if Clark is out - she'll need to be aggressive on offense and the team's go-to facilitator to make a victory possible.