“Her crown is heavy.” Iowa’s former HC Lisa Bluder spoke these words as she accepted that one of her best students ever is stepping into the WNBA world. But she also stated, “Pressure is a luxury.” The No. 22 point guard, Caitlin Clark, touted as the generational talent long before she even became the first overall pick in 2024 WNBA draft, has held that stature with poise. But the fans don’t just want her to play better, they want her to play the way only she could– shooting 26-ft-plus Logo-3s, making improbable passes, and seeing all nine players on the floor to put her incredible basketball IQ to use. And she did. For four years now, the Hawkeye turned Fever hasn’t just been a player signing merch before and after games. She has been an experience, something people from around the globe come to live. But more often than not, one thing gets blurred in the bright spotlight – her physical and mental well-being.

Even before she could play a snap for Indiana, while the rookie was still settling into her new apartment after living in a hotel for weeks, the 22-year-old bumped into a fan while grocery shopping. With the shopping cart beside her, she smiled and took a photo with the girl. The photo went viral as the fans loved the Iowa alum’s humility. She has openly stated her wish to be a role model to young girls. So, no matter how she is feeling, she puts on a friendly face we have come to know over the years and obliges with the fans’ several requests. But she has also mentioned how “I wish I could be a normal 22-year-old.” At another time, she had confessed, “I’m only 22 years old. I feel younger than that at times. I’m trying to navigate moving to a new city by myself. I’m trying to navigate playing in a new league on top of everything else that’s come with it.”  

Who would understand that feeling better than a fellow #1 draft pick from this year, Paige Bueckers, who herself was stalked by a stranger back in UConn: “I would just say [Clark] handles it with grace, and the pressure that she’s put on every single night to perform at the level that she does, it’s inhumane, really.” In a league like this, the real challenge isn’t just physical fatigue – that’s something athletes train for all their lives. It’s the mental toll that wears players down. And it is visible in Clark’s games this season. After missing five games due to a left quad strain, in her second game back against the Connecticut Sun, she got poked in the eye and pushed to the floor. Ever since then, the physical and mental toll of it all has been personified in sorts, thoughts resonated by The Ringer analyst Seerat Sohi as well.

Seerat Sohi highlighted, “Clark, who hadn’t gone a game without a 3-pointer since her sophomore year at Iowa, when she first started firing from the logo, has already come up empty from beyond the arc three times this young season. Everyone has their theories for Clark’s shooting struggles. Mine? Fatigue, both physical and mental.

“Last season, Clark was at her most accurate beyond the arc with three or more days of rest. She shot 41.9 percent from 3 when she was fresh, but that dropped to 29 percent on two or less days of rest. This season, the trend has continued: in the four games this season Clark has played after one day of rest, she has shot 2-for-29 from beyond the arc. All three of her 0-fers fall into this category. In all other games, she’s shooting over 40 percent from 3. Off the court, I wonder if the occupation of being Caitin Clark is taking its toll.”

It’s a fact that a high-intensity sport requires rest, which Caitlin Clark hasn’t been receiving. And the fact that this season is longer by four games does not help. And Indiana hosting the WNBA All-Star Game? Last year too, as she was warming up to face the USWBNT, videos showed something wrong with her left thumb, the one she uses to flick the ball as she launches a deep three. Still, while unable to make the best of openings for herself, thanks to the double-teaming and face guarding by Kelsey Plum, Clark had a high 10 assists. She couldn’t break Sue Bird’s all-time record, but made sure no rookie could break hers. But back in this season, frustration is getting to her even though she’s keeping a cool exterior.

Before the Seattle game, she let her guard down just enough to reveal some frustration. “Obviously,” she said, “I’m an athlete competing at the highest level. I’m a perfectionist. And you want to be good every single night. And when you’re not, that can frustrate you.” Then came the familiar smile, the kind that usually resets the mood. That brief moment was enough, though, for many to understand what Clark deals with behind the cameras and how when she has her bad days, we all are so quick to offer words like, “Indiana Fever needs to fix this Caitlin Clark problem.”

Thankfully, CC never fails to remind herself of the actual point of playing each time. After that moment of admission, she then tried to talk herself back to the center. “But I think it’s just reminding yourself of why you play this game. And how much fun we’ve had doing it, since you were a little kid. I don’t think that’s changed at all. That’s the reason I still play. For me, it’s just fun. It’s just a game at the end of the day.”

But whether she fully believed that or was trying to convince herself, we’re not so sure. That game against the Storm was a heavy one. It came in right after DeWanna Bonner’s departure news. But with Aliyah Boston alongside her, Caitlin Clark and the Fever managed to succeed.

However, instead of walking back to the locker room with her head held high, Clark limped off the hardwood with a groin injury. Now, more than wins and losses, Indiana’s season has been about: How does Clark look? Is she healthy? Worn down? Is the spark still there? Every game feels less like a box score check and more like a check on Caitlin Clark, both mental and physical.

Caitlin Clark and the Cost of 44

The WNBA’s expanded 44-game schedule (34 games five years ago, 40 last year) has emerged as a major factor in the league’s growing fatigue and injury crisis. It has been affecting both rookies and veterans. Data analyst Lucas Seehafer’s tracking shows that the injury rates have risen steadily over the past three seasons. It is a really concerning pattern which is made worse by the compressed calendar.

Already this season, stars including Caitlin Clark, Napheesa Collier, A’ja Wilson, and Paige Bueckers have missed games due to various physical issues. Now reigning Finals MVP Jonquel Jones is facing at least a month out with a re-sprained ankle. This comes in a league where most players already compete overseas or in domestic leagues like Athletes Unlimited and Unrivaled during the offseason. The situation leaves little to no time for recovery. And the slump? It’s not limited to Clark.

According to trysta-krick, “Everyone wants to talk about Caitlin Clark’s shooting slump (1-23 from three in her last three games) … but did you know… The entire WNBA is in a shooting slump.” According to the data she provided, here are the facts:

• Sabrina Ionescu: 2-17 from 3 (last 2 Games)
• Paige Bueckers: 2-17 from 3 (last 5)
• Marina Mabrey: 2-17 from 3 (last 3)
• Kelsey Plum: 4-22 from 3 (last 4)
• Arike Ogunbowale: 4-17 from 3 (last 3)
• Chelsea Gray: 7-28 from 3 (last 6)
• Breanna Stewart: 6-20 from 3 (last 7)

Adding more light to the rather hidden fact was Kelsey Plum’s response to her, “Cause we’re tired” with a laughing emoji. While she put it out as a humorous take, it is quite a reality in the league amongst the players. The consequences are becoming even more apparent every week. Satou Sabally, now thriving with Phoenix after an injury-plagued 2024, didn’t mince words:

“I think this is a conversation that could also be important for the next CBA. Cathy (Engelbert) added a lot of games, and for us as players, recovery is so important. We put our bodies on the line every single time. We had nine games in 18 days. That’s not really responsible for a commissioner.”

Stretching the season could help but it will create logistical hurdles like overlapping with the NBA schedule or shrinking the already brief window between college seasons and the WNBA draft. For now, the league is operating at maximum intensity and players’ health is paying the price. The exhaustion shows not just in Clark’s shooting percentages or Jones’ ankle, but across the entire WNBA landscape.