Caitlin Clark had last stepped on the court on July 15. In the dying seconds against the Connecticut Sun at the TD Garden, she suffered a right groin strain that left everyone holding their breath. At first, the Fever listed her as “day-to-day,” sparking hope she might still make it to the All-Star festivities. But that hope didn’t last long. Soon after, the team shifted her status to “no timeline or projected return to play,” and what began as a wait of days slowly turned into weeks of uncertainty.

Fast forward to the end of August, and Clark still wasn’t close to returning. That’s when another twist came to light. She had also suffered an ankle injury on August 7, halting her rehab and pushing her comeback further down the road. At the time, the word was that the bone bruise wouldn’t affect her eventual return. But as the days dragged on with no updates, optimism faded. Fans started to fear the unthinkable—that they wouldn’t see No. 22 back on the floor this season. Then came the final dagger. “I had hoped to share a better update, but I will not be returning to play this season.” Those words crushed every last hope. But as it turns out, her season didn’t end because of the groin injury, as the Fever claimed it to be…..

In the latest episode of Courtside Club with Rachel DeMita, Fever insider Scott Agness doubled down on his earlier claims of “yes, the injury (bone bruise) has impacted her availability“. Just this time around, he came with a few more receipts. Caitlin Clark’s season-ending absence, he again said, wasn’t really about her groin injury at all. “My understanding is while she hadn’t been able to fully test it, obviously the groin was fine a while ago. It’s the ankle. And I don’t think they still have complete clarity on a solution or what they’re doing other than easing her way back, getting all kinds of treatment,” Agness explained.

Not many knew at the time, but Scott Agness was the first to reveal that Clark had picked up a mild bone bruise in her right ankle during an individual workout in Phoenix on August 7. He later explained on the same podcast that he first grew suspicious after Briann January accidentally stepped on Clark’s foot in the Fever’s game against the Sky on August 9. Her reaction that night pushed him to dig deeper, and two weeks later, he broke the story. Back then, though, the message from sources was clear: it wasn’t serious and it wouldn’t delay her return.

So why did Scott Agness even bring this up in the first place? Well, it turns out he noticed something unusual about Caitlin’s ankle before Game 3 against the Dream. “I thought I saw [in Atlanta], and then again in the video, she was still favoring that left ankle. She was not running completely smooth. Now, given it’s early in the morning, that was like the first 10 minutes of shootaround. [She] shot it well, but she has been able to shoot throughout all of this over the last several months.”

So while many thought Caitlin Clark was on her way back — especially after seeing the practice video Scott Agness posted — it’s now clear that the bone bruise hasn’t fully healed. And the thing about bone bruises? They’re tricky. They often linger longer than expected. Just ask Breanna Stewart. Earlier this season, she missed not one, not two, but thirteen straight games with a bone bruise in her right knee. That example alone suggests Caitlin may have suffered a setback of her own while trying to work her way back.

Still and all, no one knows anything for certain right now. That said, one of her teammates has already stepped up, vowing to shield Caitlin from the constant physical play that comes with being one of the brightest stars of her generation.

Sophie Cunningham, the Draymond Green to Caitlin Clark’s Steph Curry

Among the NBA’s most iconic partnerships is the duo of Stephen Curry and Draymond Green. Teammates for 13 seasons, the two Warriors superstars have built a chemistry that’s second to none. Draymond’s job often goes beyond setting screens and finding space—he’s also the one who steps in to protect Curry from the physical plays that come his way. A similar storyline unfolded in the W this season, where Sophie Cunningham took it upon herself to play that same role for Caitlin Clark.

From stepping in against Jacy Sheldon after she poked Clark in the eye, to constantly pulling Clark away from referees so she doesn’t risk a technical, Sophie Cunningham has done it all. On The Old Man and The Three podcast, the Fever guard opened up about why she’s taken on that role.

“Majority of the time, those superstars, they don’t have that kind of feistiness or sassiness to kind of back themselves up. They need their teammates to do that. And I have firsthand seen it this year,” Sophie conveyed. “And I’m like, all right — if we’re not going to protect our star, someone has to.”

On the podcast, Cunningham made it clear that she’s not going to the extremes Draymond Green sometimes does. But she’ll do whatever it takes to keep the Fever’s superstar safe. Whether that means stepping in when a defender gets too close or fighting for a call with the refs, Sophie will always be there to back Clark up. And really, that’s exactly what you want from a teammate.

Both players are out for the season and can only watch from the sidelines, hoping their teammates bring home the championship. Can the team pull it off without them? So far, they’ve held their own. Only time will tell if they can keep it going. Stay tuned to find out.