The Indiana Fever have a major Caitlin Clark question, and the team needs to come up with an answer soon, Nancy Armour writes for USA Today on Friday, July 18. Clark announced Thursday she will miss the All-Star Game and 3-point contest Friday night after suffering her third injury of the season — and if you ask a lot of people, that's three too many injuries. Unfortunately, the appropriate course of action might be to keep Clark on the bench for weeks, if not the rest of the season.
Such a decision will not be popular with anyone involved — fans, the media, social media commentators, content creators, Clark's teammates, the coaching staff, the front office, or Clark herself — might it could be in the young star's best interest if she wants to play injury-free.
Clark and the Fever came into the 2025 WNBA season bearing the weight of a lot of scrutiny and commentary. The team made a handful of marquee transactions during free agency, some of which have paid off and others that did not, and were outspoken about their goal for this year: a championship.
But then the injuries started rolling in. First Clark went down with a strained left quad, a reality that seemed nearly unfathomable at the time. Teammate Sophie Cunningham injured her ankle, and the team signed Aari McDonald to a hardship contract until the duo were back on the floor. Just when it seemed the Fever might be picking up steam again, Clark injured her left groin and DeWanna Bonner left for Phoenix — two unexpected scenarios that threatened to cause chaos.
The Fever brought McDonald back to fill in the gap left by Bonner, but dealing with Clark's injury didn't have a quick fix. Instead, she was forced to miss more games, a situation that created a sense of there being "two teams" — one when Clark is healthy and playing with the Fever, and one when she is not, as Cunningham put it.
Clark returned from the second injury amid lots of chatter about a "shooting slump." Her shooting is off, but that's likely due to the nature of the injuries, particularly the groin injuries, she's suffered this season (have you ever shot a 3-pointer? Think about all the parts of your body that are involved, and then it will start to make sense). Just when it seemed things might be going the Fever's way, Clark injured her right groin and departed the Fever's July 15 game against the Sun with less than one minute ago — in tears.
So to Armour's point, as painful as it might be, the best course of action could be to keep Clark off the court for quite some time so her body can truly recover. That could mean the Fever's season doesn't go the way the team wants it to this year (or it might not!), but it could also mean Clark stands a chance at playing healthy in the future.