WNBA Analyst Brushes Off Caitlin Clark Return Hype Due to Irresponsible Indiana Fever Move

Hope can guide or gaslight. For Caitlin Clark fans, it’s drifting towards head-scratcher territory. For 7 weeks, Clark has been on the sidelines nursing through her groin injury, and Coach Stephanie White has repeated a host of the same words to provide her updates. Some combination of “long-term health”, “day-to-day”, among others. She did give a checklist of things Clark will need to do, like endurance and her being able to handle contact, but there was no date or approximation for her return.

According to the latest update from White, Clark has “been doing mostly shooting and individual stuff.” She continued with the same refrain while saying, “I think that the long-term viewpoint of her health and wellness is the most important thing.” While Clark continues her progress, an analyst is raising eyebrows about one of Fever’s decisions surrounding their star player. 

Discussing the uncertainty around the 23-year-old’s return, Rachel DeMita questioned why Clark was still travelling with the team if she was recovering. “I also find it peculiar that through all of this, through Caitlin Clark’s injury, she has traveled to every single game except for one. She’s been on every road trip. And when you’re a superstar for a team and you’re trying to ramp back up and you’re trying to get on the team and get back on the court before playoffs, like travel takes a lot on your body,” she said on the courtside club. 

Having covered the NBA for about a decade, the podcaster says, no star player travels when “it’s something where they really want them to get serious about getting back on the court.” 

Caitlin Clark has missed just one away game this ever since being sidelined. On Sue Bird’s podcast, she admitted that she’s happy to do as much for the fans awaiting her presence in the arena. She misses giving people something to cheer about after they have spent so much time, money, and resources to come and watch a game. “I am gonna go to every road game no matter what,” she had said. But fans wouldn’t agree with her on that.

A peer-reviewed study named “The Negative Influence of Air Travel on Health and Performance in the National Basketball Association” says that frequent air travel can negatively affect the players in terms of their hydration, nutritional behaviours, and sleep, thus extending their recovery time. 

So neither does DeMita want to encourage Clark’s travel even if it is for ‘economic impact’ and nor does she want the 23-year-old to rush back. There are 3 more games left for the Fever to secure their playoff berth. And if the team were ever finalise her return in the duration, the podcaster is giving a firm no. “I personally think it’s irresponsible to just throw in your franchise player into the playoffs without having any regular-season games at the end of the season,” she says.

It’s a risk that the Fever still has to take, and in the end, it will come down to their judgment.

Fever vs. Dream: Likely First-Round Clash, Extra Time for Caitlin Clark

Currently, Indiana stands at 8th place with a 21-20 record and 3 games still to go. Fortunately for the Fever, they have gotten the soft lane: their remaining slate is lighter than the Valkyries, Storm, and Sparks, according to Tankathon. To put it in numbers, 0.516 SOS vs. Seattle’s .570, Golden State’s .586, and L.A.’s .560. Even experts have Fever easing into the playoffs after their wins over Seattle and the Sparks.

The ESPN projection has Indiana finishing there with a 23.3-20.7 approximation. At the same time, in the battle for second place, the Atlanta Dream has the lightest record at a SOS of .367, facing the Connecticut Sun and Sparks two times each. That means Indiana will have to go past Angel Reese & Co. as well as the Mystics once again. 

The Fever have a 2-2 record against the Dream this season, which includes a win away from home. The Dream gives them a viable opportunity to get a W, which could open things up for Clark to get another game to come back from. Assuming the team can handle the Dream, the Fever will want their point guard back at the end of that series. However, the Fever still has work to do.