The Indiana Fever have suffered through a disappointing season. After starting the year with WNBA Finals contention hype and Caitlin Clark preparing for a possible MVP season, things have not gone close to according to plan.
Lately, Clark has been out since last playing on July 15. She has missed over a month now due to a groin injury.
To this point, there has been no clarity about when she could make her return to the court. With the Fever struggling to remain in the playoff picture, Clark could not return fast enough. Unfortunately, no firm timeline has been given for her return.
Despite Indiana not releasing a projected return date, ESPN has taken a stab at doing just that.
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Previously, they had targeted August 12 against the Dallas Wings as a possible return date for Clark. Now, they have updated that possible return date to August 26.
Should Clark return on that date, she would make her comeback to the court facing off against the Seattle Storm. Her return would also happen to come at home.
Over their last five games, the Fever have gone just 1-4. They have cooled off dramatically after finding some success early on after Clark’s re-injury of the groin issue. Now, they are barely holding their heads above water.
Due to their latest loss on Friday night to the Washington Mystics, Indiana dropped to 18-16 on the season. That has them placed at No. 3 in the Eastern Conference and No. 7 in the league.
If the season ended today, the Fever would be in the playoffs. They would be playing the Atlanta Dream first in the postseason.
Even when Clark has played this season, her injuries have impacted her performance. She has appeared in 13 games all year long, averaging 16.5 points, 8.8 assists, five rebounds, and 1.6 steals, while shooting 36.7 percent from the floor and 27.9 percent from three-point range.
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Those numbers are nothing close to what fans and the media were expecting from her in year two.
Hopefully, some good news comes out about Clark’s progress and a potential return date. For now, ESPN’s projected return date of August 26 is something to take note of as a possible glimmer of hope for Indiana.
Next up for the Fever will be a Sunday afternoon matchup on the road against the Connecticut Sun.
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