INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Fever star guard Caitlin Clark, who is fifth in the league scoring 24.3 points per game, was a late scratch from Indiana’s game against Portland on Wednesday night.
Clark’s complete status change came about 100 minutes before the game tipped off — and just 10 minutes before fans were allowed into Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The abrupt change came as a shock, as there were no indications before Wednesday that Clark would be questionable, much less unavailable at all, from the Fever coaching staff or day-before injury report.
However, Fever coach Stephanie White said pregame that Clark did not practice Tuesday, instead getting treatment and doing a workout following practice. White added that not participating in practice does not automatically mean a player could be unavailable for the next game.
“Not everybody that doesn’t practice or gets a pro day is on the injury report, so that happens all the time,” White said after the Fever’s 90-73 win. “She wasn’t listed on the injury report earlier because we expected her to play.”
Buy Caitlin Clark merch!
Following practice Tuesday, however, the Fever probably should have known that Clark was not a sure thing to play Wednesday — to the point where they should have put her as some designation, whether it be probable (75% chance of playing), questionable (50% chance), or doubtful (25% chance).
Considering that Clark did not practice Tuesday in order to get treatment, and that the Fever were specifically monitoring if she woke up with any stiffness or soreness Wednesday morning, it would have been plausible to list her, even as probable, on the injury report. But, when asked postgame, White said she does not think the Fever will receive a fine for not listing Clark on the day-before injury report.
While talking pregame about Clark being out, too, White mentioned the return-to-play regimen she uses for every player: see how their injury reacts after the workout, then check again the next day.
“She just woke up with some stiffness and some soreness,” White said pregame. “We like to see, like I always say, how do you respond after a workout. For us, it’s not the time to take a chance. We just really want to be cautious.”
It was the same strategy they used for Monique Billings as she worked back from her ankle injury at the end of the preseason, then when Aliyah Boston missed the game against Seattle on Sunday with a lower leg injury. The difference on Wednesday, however, is how it was characterized on the injury report.
Boston, after pulling herself out of the Fever’s game against Washington in the third quarter on May 15, was listed as questionable on the Fever’s day-before injury report for the game against Seattle. She was eventually ruled out after the Fever’s pregame walkthrough on the day of the game, about 1.5 hours before the game.
On May 17, White used similar language about Boston’s injury: “It’s still early, so there’s no reason to really push anything, and we want to make sure that we are utilizing an abundance of caution.”
White also emphasized pregame on Wednesday that Clark is healthy, and that “we’re not managing anything” in terms of Clark’s back. She also said she doesn’t anticipate the back issues to be an ongoing thing, but added that “I’m not a doctor.”
Since the beginning of the season, though, Clark has been taking steps to manage her back issues. She frequently wears a heat therapy pad around her lower back when she’s on the bench, and has gone back to the bench during games in order to get adjustments. She said following the season opener that her back “gets out of line pretty quickly,” and the mid-game adjustments are something she hopes will combat that.
White has declined to specify Clark’s back issues as an injury. Postgame, when asked directly if Clark is injured, White said, “Her back is sore. If there’s anything more detailed than that, that’s the training staff.”
White said postgame that she doesn’t anticipate being fined for not including Clark on the injury report. Right now, it is unclear why Fever’s benchmark on injury reporting changed between Boston’s injury status and Clark’s injury status, but it is something that should be standard across the teams and the league.
Chloe Peterson is the Indiana Fever beat reporter for IndyStar. Reach her at chloe.peterson@indystar.com or follow her on X at @chloepeterson67. Get IndyStar’s Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Caitlin Clark Fever newsletter. Subscribe to IndyStar TV: Fever for in-depth analysis, behind-the-scenes coverage and more.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Fever should have standard injury reporting practices, whether Caitlin Clark or Aliyah Boston
Reporting by Chloe Peterson, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
