“We’re going to be smart, and we’re going to be cautious. We’re going to play the long game and work her back in very intentionally.” The Indiana Fever’s journey has faced a fair share of troughs and crests so far. Despite heart-wrenching halts in Caitlin Clark and Sophie Cunningham’s injury, head coach Stephanie White pulled out all the stops to grab the championship title. Especially when she signed point guard Aari McDonald. And boy, what a wild card that was! Now, as the OG players mark a return, White has more strategic plans up her sleeves.

IndyStar sports reporter Chloe Peterson shared two clips from Indiana Fever’s pre-game interview. Peterson’s second clip features Clark, who provided insights into her health and the game against the Liberty. She captioned the post with, “Caitlin Clark says pregame that she doesn’t anticipate being on a minutes restriction against the Liberty: “I’m not a huge fan of minutes restrictions, I think they’re silly. I told them, ‘I don’t want to come back unless I’m full go.'” And boy is she adamant! Just like her head coach, White!

White dropped a strong four-word reaction to Clark’s original statement. Peterson’s first clip had a caption that read, “Steph White laughed in response to hearing CC said minutes restrictions were “silly”: “of course she did.” She talked about how they’ll manage CC with shorter stints in the rotation:”

“It was just asking questions to our training staff of do we think we need a minute’s restriction,” White said during the pre-game interview. “They were adamantly: ‘No, I don’t think so. She’s done the work that she needs to make sure she’s ready to go.’” Referring to Clark, the head coach specified on the minute’s restriction on their star athlete. The minute’s restriction is a planned number of limits that the athlete can stay on the hardwood.

Often imposed on athletes who are returning after an injury, the amount of time is divided between quarters. Yes, it allows for a limited playing time. As someone benched for more than two weeks, it will be difficult for Clark to stay out at a stretch. Having said that, White expressed her concern as a head coach who wants to save Clark for crucial moments. That too without adding pressure on the athlete.

“I think the challenge for us as coaches and for Caitlin is just how long do we go at one period of time?” White confessed. “We don’t want emotional or physical fatigue early in the ball game. So, just kind of gauging that by how she feels and how she looks and for us, and we’re continuing to then build our positive progress.” Despite not being charged with the restriction yet, Clark isn’t too fond of the rule.

However, as head coach cleared her stance on the restriction, it would be safe to assume that fans might get to see their favorite Fever player perform. Not just fans, even reporters, analysts, and her very teammates were waiting in anticipation of Clark’s re-entry on the hardwood. And as they prepare to face New York Liberty, we can finally expect to see Aliyah Boston rise to the occasion and bring back her rhythm.

Indiana Fever makes roster adjustments ahead of NY Liberty game

As a free agent signed on a hardship contract, Aari McDonald absolutely lit up the Indiana Fever’s locker room when she stepped in. While the roster warmly welcomed the athlete and ensured not to pressurize her in the first game, Aari turned out to be the flame that the roster needed.

She almost immediately gelled into the locker room and stepped up to take on guard duties. Without any ifs and buts. She quickly jumped off the bench in the first game and has propelled the team into two spectacular wins so far. That’s why the news of the point guard’s replacement contract getting terminated became a bitter-sweet moment for all the Fever fans and analysts alike.

Her contract was terminated as Clark and Cunningham prepared to make a comeback. “She’s a dawg. She’ll be missed.” These were Stephanie White’s parting words for the 2021 overall 3rd pick. And though McDonald failed to fetch a win in the third game against Atlanta Dream, the athlete had a standout performance as she outshone Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston.

While Indiana Fever will miss the energetic athlete ahead of the New York Liberty game, they are all geared up to welcome Caitlin Clark and Sophie Cunningham. As the two OG players return after spending considerable time on the bench, can Clark take off from where Aari left off? Or is it too soon to pressurize the 2024 overall no.1 pick?