Reckless late-game move sparks outrage as Caitlin Clark goes down

Caitlin Clark is set to miss tonight's game against the Los Angeles Sparks with a groin injury. Unfortunately, a new video going around social media has upset the fan base because it looks like at least some of Clark's ailment could have been prevented by simply making a better decision.

These are sports. Players get hurt. However, it's a coaches job to ensure they protect their team whenever possible, and that didn't happen here. There's no reason to put your star player back on the floor when she was already sitting on the sidelines with the game in hand.

But Stephanie White did just that in Tuesday's win vs. the Storm, and you can clearly see Clark either freshly injured or re-aggravate an injury. If you search Coach White's name on social media, you'll see a bunch of negative posts about this decision.

Caitlin Clark was already struggling enough

One of the WNBA's most dangerous offensive weapons has been in a slump for three games now. She's knocked down only one three-pointer in her last 23 attempts. Her field goal percentage as a whole is down. A passing savant, she's still racking up assists, but her turnovers are out of control.

Dealing with a groin injury is one of the worst things you can ask of an athlete. They tend to linger and are a nuisance, especially for players who play at a high pace like Clark does. If that's the reason she's been struggling, that makes sense. But it also makes putting her back in that game more egregious.

Maybe the Tyrese Haliburton/Pacers playoff run was still on her mind, and she believed Skylar Diggins was about to rattle off 9 points in 16 seconds with the Storm somehow not allowing the Fever a single bucket, but that seems unreasonable.

This isn't the first time Coach White has made a questionable decision. In fact, she's been making them since the beginning of the season. She potentially cost Indiana a shot at winning their second game of the season against the Atlanta Dream when she drew up a play that didn't involve any of their best players touching the ball besides having CC inbound it. Fans were irate.

Kelsey Mitchell, Aliyah Boston, and, of course, Clark herself would have been better options, considering they all were having great shooting nights as opposed to Natasha Howard. Howard is a good player, but she was not having a good night. Having her try to challenge Brittney Griner in the paint with the game on the line when she was already struggling was a poor decision.

Besides that instance, her insistence to run a more methodical system has clashed with CC's run-and-gun style that made her the sensation she's grown to be. The Sparks game is on the first night of a back-to-back. The Fever play Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings tomorrow night.

Clark's status for that game has yet to be revealed, but if she can't go, one of the most anticipated games of the season takes a major hit.