When Caitlin Clark finally makes her way back from that nagging left groin injury, she’s not looking to tiptoe onto the court with a minutes restriction. As always, she wants to dive right back in, full throttle. The Indiana Fever, however, are keeping things cautious. That cautious approach means Clark is now on track to miss her fifth straight game and tenth overall this season. It checks out, considering she hasn’t gone full speed in practice just yet, though she did dip her toes back in with some semi-live shooting and 3-on-3 drills on Friday. Now, that’s hope enough for the fans, who wish nothing but the best for the star. Yet, just as the Fever nation was crossing its fingers, another not-so-fun update swooped in to rain on the optimism parade.

It all comes up ahead of the Indiana Fever’s matchup against the LA Sparks at Gainbridge Fieldhouse this Saturday, Damiris Dantas joined Clark on the injury list. While she had already been unavailable due to her obligations with the Brazilian national team for the FIBA Women’s AmeriCup, things took a sudden turn when she reportedly suffered an ankle injury in the first half of Brazil’s game against Mexico, according to journalist Roberta F. Rodrigues.

But, fortunately, there’s no major concern as Dantas returned to start the third quarter, and a Brazilian federation official later confirmed it was nothing serious. Still, she is expected to miss Saturday’s game as one of four players currently unavailable.

You might think that as a reserve player, her absence wouldn’t be a big deal, but that couldn’t be further from the truth as the 6-foot-4 center is averaging 5 points and 2.8 rebounds in just 12 minutes per game off the bench across the last 13 games. So while her numbers might not pop off the stat sheet, her value lies in what she brings beyond the box score. What makes her valuable for the team is that she provides much-needed frontcourt depth, stretch shooting, and serves as the primary backup at power forward behind AB. Not to forget that Dantas is a two-time All-Star Five selection (2019 and 2023), with 29 AmeriCup games under her belt, averaging 13.8 points per outing.

And not just that, she’s also a critical asset when opponents double-team CC, Kelsey Mitchell, or Boston, offering a reliable outside option. Known for her smart, disciplined interior defense, she can hold her own even against dominant centers like Tina Charles, all while avoiding foul trouble. So, you know why the former first-round pick, Dantas, with her championship experience, is mentoring this young Fever squad!

And even as she’s missed WNBA time, Dantas has been excelling on the FIBA stage. The Brazilian center reached another milestone in her career by scoring 21 points in Brazil’s win over El Salvador, pushing her total to 401 AmeriCup points and rising to No. 2 all-time in tournament scoring since 2003.

“Ooh! I feel good, got a win today, and now I have a new record,” Dantas told FIBA Americas. “It’s very fun… I love playing for my country—for my national team.” Remarkably, she arrived in Santiago, Chile with 326 career points and needed just five games to reach the 400-point mark. But, when exactly will Damiris Dantas make her long-awaited return to the Fever lineup?

Just one game to see a game-changing comeback!

Damiris Dantas’ contract was paused on June 25th by the Indiana Fever so she could fulfill her national team duties.“This year is my 15th year on the national team. I’m so happy. It’s my dream,” she shared in an interview with FIBA at the time. Based on her suspension, she’s expected to rejoin the Fever as early as July 9th for the game against the Golden State Valkyries.

This timeline works out because the AmeriCup tournament wraps up by July 6th, giving Dantas enough time to return and get some practice in before tip-off. That means she’ll miss just one more game before rejoining the Fever for the next matchup in their homestand.

But there’s no rush as during her absence, Head Coach Stephanie White has been relying on players like Brianna Turner and Natasha Howard to fill minutes at the power forward spot over the last five games. And it’s been working, even with CC sidelined and DeWanna Bonner recently waived.

That’s largely thanks to the addition of Aari McDonald, who’s been instrumental in helping the team secure a 9-8 record and spark a three-game winning streak, capped off with their first-ever Commissioner’s Cup title win over the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx. Now, Fever will be facing the LA Sparks, who have just made a new addition to their roster: Julie Vanloo, this Saturday. So, now, all eyes are on how this next matchup will unfold!