Caitlin Clark return date might have been accidentally revealed by Fever HC

Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White provided a much-anticipated update regarding Caitlin Clark's injury status ahead of the team's Tuesday night game against the Atlanta Dream.

White, who had missed the Fever's win over the Chicago Sky, told reporters during practice that while Clark is ramping back up to action, she's not exactly ready for a Tuesday showdown with a tough Dream squad that almost walked away with a win in their first meetup earlier this season.

White's comments specifically seemed to suggest that the team is going to be patient and then some with Clark as she gets back up to speed and WNBA physicality.

"Not for tomorrow, no. I think for us, we've gotta work both ends, so if you get back into are they in basketball condition, what does it mean to go live? It's one thing to do since you do drills, it's another thing to get out there on the floor, get back into moving the patterns, rhythm timing. And so that's what part of picking and choosing the things that they can be in practice so that we can see their progression. Both of them being out for long periods of time, you gotta work your way back into being game ready. "

- Head coach Stephanie White

Clark could return against Liberty or Sun

Both Clark and guard Sophie Cunningham will be out for the Atlanta game, which will be a big one in terms of implications for Commissioner's Cup standings. Of course, the Fever are probably more concerned with staying afloat in Clark's absence than winning out their Cup games, but having Clark - and Cunningham - back would make that a much more achievable goal.

White's comments on getting timing and rhythm right before throwing her back on the court seem to suggest that the team is more than willing to let her not only sit out their Atlanta game, but potentially their weekend matchup with the New York Liberty.

The last thing the team should want to do is get Clark back and immediately have her thrown in against Natasha Cloud, one of the league's best guard defenders.

If the team doesn't trot Clark back on Saturday, then she'd probably get her first taste back of WNBA action against the struggling Connecticut Sun. That'd be a much more tolerable return date for the Fever, most likely, considering that the Sun aren't as defensively difficult a matchup for Clark around the perimeter.