“The logo shoots the longest distance out there.” But what happens when it misses? After twenty-one missed games, Caitlin Clark’s injury has turned into ground zero for conspiracy theories and concern. It has definitely been a mysterious event and a stroke of bad luck for the Indiana Fever star.

She tweaked her left quad and then almost immediately suffered a bilateral groin strain… The recovery? Unknown. According to some analysts, she was supposed to make her return in mid-August. While the others have a more grim take on the entire situation.

It has gotten to the point that legends like Lisa Leslie are stepping in to make their own predictions. Leslie, a two-time WNBA champion, shared her personal experience of dealing with a groin strain way back in 2006, and outlined the challenges that Caitlin Clark might have to face. “I think that injury is really tough because it lingers.” She said on CBS Sports’ We Need To Talk show. “No matter how much medicine you take, you can feel fine. You can get back out there. But one move, one change of direction, and boom! You’re right back to feeling the same kind of pain.”

Recurring injuries are always the toughest thing to deal with. We’re seeing it at a smaller level with the WNBA stars this season – Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, and even rookie Paige Bueckers. Old niggles are coming back to haunt them, and back-to-backs become increasingly difficult to play. And as for Clark’s conundrum? “It’s gonna be a tough injury that she’s gonna need to manage.”

But has the LA Sparks legend recovered from her own ailments? She tweaked her groin back in 2006–a year in which she won MVP–and well, the odds aren’t looking good for CC. According to Lisa Leslie, “I don’t know that it ever really goes away. You just learn how to manage and play with it.” And that might be the best that we get.

However, this prediction puts the Indiana Fever in a horrible place. They lost Caitlin Clark a month ago, sure, but they also suffered two big blows right at the closure of the trade deadline: Aari McDonald and Sydney Colson. Both guards sustained season-ending injuries, and Indiana’s backcourt suddenly emptied out.

To rebuild the backcourt, Amber Cox and Kelly Krauskopf took a couple of major decisions. The Fever ended up signing Odyssey Sims and Kyra Lambert to hardship contracts. Now, upon Caitlin Clark’s eventual return, one of these players will have to be waived. So, Indiana is currently caught in a wave of uncertainty regarding its future roster decisions and backcourt depth.

However, the latest guard that the Fever signed is an injury waiting to happen, as per her track record. Kyra Lambert is a genuine hooper, there’s no doubt about that, but her injury-ridden past is raising some major red flags for the WNBA community.

Caitlin Clark’s Newest Teammate Puts Lingering Injury Concerns to Rest

The last thing Indiana needs right now is another injury. Stephanie White’s team has dealt with the absolute worst-case scenario this season. They were meant to be championship contenders with a healthy sophomore superstar. But now? The Fever are scrambling to fill out their backcourt rotation and are taking huge gambles with every signing.

Their most recent wager was on the overseas professional Kyra Lambert. Even though the five-foot-nine guard has a record of winning at every single level she’s played at, there are also a bunch of red flags that fans can’t ignore. Firstly, this is her first stint in the WNBA. Yes, leagues in Europe are tough to play in, but the competition level is so much higher in the WNBA.

And secondly? Lambert has a history of injury in college. The Duke alum tore her ACL in 2017 and then tore it again the next year. Normally, this isn’t scary. But for Indiana, which has almost lost its entire guard lineup because of injury, warning bells start to ring.

Luckily, Kyra Lambert made it clear that she put in the work after her injury. When reporter Tony East asked her if coming back and playing in the W seemed too far-fetched after her 2 ACL tears, Lambert had a brilliant response. “No, it never seemed far-fetched. I mean, I just did the work. I trusted the process. Again, staying faithful and trusting that God’s timing is perfect, and here we are.”

It looks like Indiana’s newest signing has the heart and the will to thrive in the W. While we haven’t seen her step foot on the hardwood floor just yet, Fever fans are quite excited to see what the future has in store for them. It will be interesting to see how Stephanie White adapts to an entirely new backcourt, and if Indiana can still make it work! Stay tuned for more updates.