Months of rehab, silence, and uncertainty finally gave way to clarity inside Duke’s K-Center. As the USA Basketball women’s national team training camp tipped off in Durham, two of the game’s brightest young stars, Caitlin Clark and JuJu Watkins, stepped back into the spotlight to confirm how far they’ve come. As for both these players, the camp marked a symbolic comeback after a bruising 2025 defined more by recovery rooms than arenas.

After being limited to just 13 games in the 2025 WNBA season, where Clark was averaging 16.5 points, 8.8 assists, and 5 rebounds, due to a series of four different injuries, the last being a right groin issue that ultimately sidelined her, the Indiana Fever star finally returned to full action at camp and delivered the long-awaited update on her recovery.

“I’m at 100%,” Clark told reporters. “Obviously, I need to knock off a little bit of rust and get my lungs back, but my body feels really good. I feel like I’m in a really good spot. So, my main goal is just staying that way.”

Under Duke’s championship banners, Caitlin Clark wore a USA senior national team practice jersey for the first time, and she looked every bit like herself, attacking off the dribble, rising confidently, and, most importantly, smiling again, which was her goal today!

“My main goal for today was to smile and have fun,” Clark further added. “You take for granted getting to play basketball. You always say that you don’t want to, but then when you get hurt, you realize you probably did. For myself, obviously, the year was pretty challenging. I missed being on the court and playing. I would have taken 10 bad games in a row just to be out there playing because that’s how much I love it and how much I love competing with my teammates.”

But that’s not it, as nearly nine months after tearing the ACL in her right knee during the 2024-25 NCAA Tournament, JuJu Watkins is also finally easing back into basketball activity. In an interview with ESPN, the USC star confirmed that she has begun light workouts, including individual shooting and ball-handling drills.

“Whatever I can do, I am trying to maximize that,” Watkins said.

However, the journey to where she is now wasn’t easy. Back in September, she announced that she would miss the entire 2025-26 collegiate basketball season to focus on her recovery. And for an athlete to come to terms with a decision like that could never be a peaceful process.

“I tried to push off that decision as much as possible,” Watkins admitted. “But I had to come to terms with where I was at…Getting over that mental curve has been the biggest thing.”

Though the Trojans’ star won’t participate in on-court drills during the Team USA camp, she is embracing a different role, one that is focused on absorbing leadership and basketball IQ from the elite talent around her. As for Watkins, simply being in the room still matters.

“It’s always been a dream of mine to be in this atmosphere,” she added. “Even though it looks different, I’m still blessed to be here.”

For now, neither Caitlin Clark nor JuJu Watkins is chasing box scores or headlines. One is rediscovering joy after months away from the game, and the other is learning how to lead and absorb even while sidelined. But inside a Team USA camp, both delivered the same message without saying it outright: the hardest part is behind them.

Caitlin Clark Draws Praise From Team USA Coach

The senior national team camp is being led by 2025–28 USA Basketball head coach Kara Lawson, with support from an elite staff, which includes Stephanie White (USA national team coach in 2023), Natalie Nakase, and Nate Tibbetts. And with day 1 of the camp already under their belt, the team’s head coach, Lawson, is impressed with how little the Indiana Fever star appeared to have lost despite months away from live action.

“She’s a terrific player, really locked in and focused,” the coach said. “I thought she looked good on both ends. And I thought that she hadn’t missed a beat.”

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And for Caitlin Clark, the praise carried added weight. This was her first senior national team camp, after she was left off the 2024 Olympic team, and her first real test after a season defined by setbacks. Yet inside a gym filled with elite talent, including Paige Bueckers, Angel Reese, and Cameron Brink, she didn’t look like someone easing her way back in.

“We know each other a little bit, play against each other, and played with each other on certain teams in the past, even in the WNBA,” Clark said. “At the same time, it’s competitive. You all want to win, you’re all fighting for a spot.”

This three-day training camp serves as a critical evaluation period for the future of the USA Women’s National Team. The immediate focus will be on identifying the core group that will compete at the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup in Berlin next September, while also laying the groundwork for the long-term build toward the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.