Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White opted to sit star player Caitlin Clark for the team's road matchup against the Phoenix Mercury on Thursday, a decision that came despite Clark's own report that she felt physically ready to play.
Clark returned to the court Wednesday night against the Los Angeles Sparks after dealing with a lingering back injury, logging 16 minutes in a game that saw the Fever lose. Following the game, Clark expressed optimism about her physical state, telling reporters she felt good and was not winded, according to the Indy Star.
"I told our trainers after the game that it stinks we didn't win, and we didn't play very well, but I'll take it as a win how my body feels and how I really felt out there," Clark said. "I didn't even feel very winded."
Despite Clark's positive self-assessment, the Fever officially listed her as out for Thursday's game with the reason cited as "rest." This move follows a pre-game announcement from White before Wednesday's contest that the coaching staff intended to manage minutes for both Clark and All-Star forward Aliyah Boston due to the back-to-back games scheduled.
"Yeah, [Boston] just did some of the shooting," White said prior to Wednesday's game. "She's gonna be out tonight, again, with the back-to-back. ... Caitlin's gonna be active tonight, AB's not, and then they'll flip-flop tomorrow."
Clark, however, indicated that the limited minutes and frequent substitutions during Wednesday's game made it difficult to find a rhythm. "It’s just really hard when you’re playing three minutes, (sub) out, three minutes, three minutes, then you’re on the bench," Clark stated. "It’s really, really hard to get into a flow. For the most part, I got good looks, some of them went, some of them didn’t. I probably didn’t get to have a feel for the game as I usually do, like it’s just really, really hard for me to play in that scenario, but overall, my body feels great, so that’s the positive I can take from today."
The decision to hold Clark out completely on Thursday, after she played limited minutes the previous night, has raised questions. The Fever, currently holding a 12-9 record, will be without their leading playmaker for the matchup against the Mercury. While the team's cautious approach to managing Clark's health is understandable given her importance to the franchise, the sudden jump from a minutes restriction to a full absence has drawn attention.