Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark said she expects to return to action on Wednesday against the Golden State Valkyries after missing the past five games with a left groin injury.
Clark participated in the 5-on-5 portion of practice on Monday for the first time since she suffered the injury on June 24 — a crucial step in her getting cleared to return. Barring any setbacks over the next 24 hours, she’ll be available to play.
“It’s nice to get back out there and get back into the flow of playing with my teammates again,” Clark told reporters at practice Tuesday. “It’s going to be fun to get back out there hopefully and just feel things again.
“It’s obviously hard sitting out and watching for a few weeks, so I’m excited to get out there.”
While Clark was out, the Fever went 3-2, including a victory against the Minnesota Lynx in the championship game of the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup.
It was Clark’s second injury of the season, as she has missed 10 of the Fever’s 18 games this season. She also missed five games last month due to a left quad injury.
Clark, who has expressed her dislike for minutes restrictions, said she doesn’t know what her workload will be against the Valkyries on Wednesday.
“I hope to play a decent amount — in the upper 20s. I guess it depends on how the game goes and how I feel and what the team needs,” Clark said. “But I feel pretty good. But I’m going to try to not overdo it and put myself in a good position moving forward.”
Clark had 32 points in 31 minutes against the New York Liberty when she returned from her quad injury on June 14. She cooled over the next four games, however, averaging 14 points per contest.
For the season, Clark is averaging 18.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 8.9 assists.
Her return comes with five games remaining until the All-Star break, with that game to be played in Indianapolis with Clark serving as a team captain. She and Napheesa Collier, the other captain, will make their team selections on Tuesday night.
