The Indiana Fever started the season with dreams of winning the championship. They are still en route, but on their way to it, the biggest headache has been injury. Caitlin Clark, Sophie Cunningham, you name it, and they are out. Even players brought in to replace them, Chloe Bibby and Odyssey Sims, have joined the list of injured Fever players. But amidst all worries, the Fever has finally found a ray of hope.

The positive news for Indiana Fever fans is that Clark is finally back on the hardwood. After missing fourteen games since her groin injury against the Connecticut Sun on July 15, the star guard has begun taking gradual steps toward a return. She has spent the past couple of weeks focused on individual workouts, and now she has advanced to limited on-court activities with her teammates.

According to insider Chloe Peterson, Caitlin Clark joined the Fever for warmups and participated in shootaround. She followed it with non-contact drills with the second unit. While that marks progress in her recovery, Peterson clarified that Clark is not yet officially back to full practice. She also remains on the bench for the team’s game against the Minnesota Lynx at Target Center.

Head coach Stephanie White addressed the situation, tempering fan excitement with a measured update. “It was a good step, because she got out there on the floor with us for the first time, part of the sort of return to activity thing. But it was all very low, low-maintenance, you know, 5-on-0 low intensity stuff. So I think just getting her back out there, getting her comfortable, and seeing where she goes,” White explained.

Caitlin Clark’s recovery has been complicated by multiple setbacks. On August 7, she sustained a bone bruise during an individual workout. Although the Fever staff insisted that the injury had not altered her return timeline, many fans believed otherwise. But for now, her return remains uncertain. And Indiana has already begun taking extra precautionary measures as they await their star’s comeback.

Caitlin Clark’s replacement gets a third hardship contract

Amid the encouraging news of Clark’s gradual return, the Indiana Fever have signed Odyssey Sims to a third seven-day hardship contract. The move was expected, as Sims traveled with the team to Minneapolis on Saturday with her second hardship deal expiring that same day. Per league rules, this will be the final time the Fever can sign her to such a contract, as a player can only sign three seven-day deals with one team in a single season.

Sims, who joined Indiana on August 10, quickly worked her way into the starting lineup. With the team’s top three point guards sidelined by injuries, the veteran stepped in and immediately shouldered the role with minimal preparation. Over four games, including two starts, she has averaged 8.5 points, 4.3 assists, and 1.8 rebounds in 25.8 minutes per contest.

However, the injury woes continued for the Fever when Sims went down on Friday against the Lynx. In the fourth quarter, she exited after awkwardly landing on her foot and was replaced by Shey Peddy, who closed out the game at point guard. Chloe Bibby also sat out that game due to a knee injury.

Now the question remains about whether Sims will start against the Lynx on Sunday. The Indiana fans can only hope this ill fate of injuries quickly moves past their team. And the return of Caitlin Clark on the court alongside her team is a positive sign towards that.