Stephanie White Has 'Too Early' Update on Caitlin Clark's Status for Next Fever Game

Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White spoke about Caitlin Clark's back injury recovery on July 1.

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark looks on. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White provided an update regarding Caitlin Clark's back when speaking with the media on July 1.

When White was asked whether Clark or Sophie Cunningham was practicing on Wednesday, she said, "Sophie is not. Sophie is still home, under the weather. Caitlin did an individual workout this morning... She's with our player development coaches, with our medical staff, with our sports performance staff, and just working on some basketball skill stuff, movement pattern stuff as she continues to work her way back to full team activities," per a YouTube video from Tony East.

White was then asked whether she knows if Clark will be available for the Fever's next game, which is against the Las Vegas Aces on July 5. She said, "Yeah, no. I think it's still too early."

She got a question about whether she knows how Clark's back is doing right now, and she said, "I think every day is a little bit better. Every day is a little bit better. I reiterate for those who haven't had back issues, every day can be something different. You can feel really good in practices or workouts or warm-ups or whatever, and then you go to bed at night, and you wake up, and it's different... the back is a nagging thing that manifests itself in different ways."

"I don't think it's a new thing. I think it's a re-aggravation," White added of Clark's injury. "Again, when you have a back [injury], it's like every day is different."

Why Fever Won't Rush Caitlin Clark Back to Action

While Fever fans will want to see Clark back on the court as soon as possible, the bottom line is that the team will take every precaution necessary to ensure that she's 100% when she does return.

As White alluded to, back injuries are precarious by nature and have a high risk of re-injury if they aren't handled correctly. And because the Fever will prioritize Clark being healthy for the rest of the season once she returns rather than rush her back for Sunday's game against the Aces, it wouldn't be surprising to see her miss that game unless the team is certain there are no lingering issues from the injury.

Not to mention that Indiana learned the hard way that bringing Clark back before she's 100% is a bad decision last season, as Clark kept re-aggravating various lower body injuries she was dealing with, which ultimately limited her to 13 regular season games.

That's the last thing the Fever wants to have happen. Therefore, if fans don't see Clark active for Sunday's game against the defending WNBA champions, they shouldn't panic, especially because every indication is that Clark's back injury isn't overly serious.

In fact, perhaps they should see it as a sign that their team has learned from past mistakes and is giving Clark all the time necessary to make her return