The Indiana Fever are using their Commissioner’s Cup break to heal. Two of the team’s key names are still missing from the practice floor, and coach Stephanie White is not rushing either one back.
Caitlin Clark missed her second straight practice on Wednesday. So did Sophie Cunningham, who has been out sick since Tuesday. White addressed both absences with reporters, and her answer on Clark’s back injury made one thing clear. There is no set timeline yet.
“Sophie is not. Sophie is still home under the weather,” White said. “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 activity.”
Clark has been sidelined since tweaking her back on June 24 against the Phoenix Mercury. She landed awkwardly after a closeout, stayed in the game, and was pulled in the third quarter. The Fever have not played her since.
Asked directly if Clark could suit up Sunday against the Las Vegas Aces, Stephanie White did not offer any false hope.
“Yeah, no, I think it’s still too early,” she said.
That answer leaves Indiana’s biggest matchup of the week without its star guard, at least for now.
Stephanie White did add some encouraging context on Clark’s day to day progress, though she was careful not to overpromise.
“I think every day is a little bit better,” she said. “For those who haven’t had back issues, every day can be something different. You can feel really good in practices or workouts or warmups, and then you go to bed at night and wake up and it’s different.”
That unpredictability is exactly why Indiana is treating this injury with caution. Clark played through multiple lower body issues last season and finished with just 13 regular season games. The Fever clearly do not want a repeat of that pattern, even if it means missing a marquee matchup with the defending champions.
Stephanie White also confirmed something many fans had suspected. This is not a fresh issue.
“I don’t think it’s a new thing. I think it’s a re-aggravation,” she said.
Clark has dealt with back trouble in stretches all season, including a brief in-game adjustment during the opener against Dallas and a late scratch versus Portland in May.
Stephanie White’s Team’s Depth Is Being Tested Before It Matters Most
The good news for Indiana is that the roster has shown it can function without Clark. The Fever beat the Los Angeles Sparks 111-87 on Saturday, with Kelsey Mitchell scoring 26 points and Tyasha Harris stepping into a bigger playmaking role. That win pushed Indiana to 11-8 and extended its winning streak to three games.
Still, none of that depth changes what a healthy Clark means once the Fever hit the postseason stretch. She is averaging 21.2 points, 8.2 assists and 4.0 rebounds a game, numbers that place her among the league’s top scorers and passers.
Indiana gets the benefit of extra rest before facing Las Vegas, and White’s staff will use every one of those days. Whether that is enough time for Clark to go from individual workouts to full team reps against a championship roster is the question hanging over this week.
If she sits Sunday, it will not be a surprise given how deliberately the Fever have handled this injury. The bigger story is whether Indiana can turn this cautious approach into a healthy Clark for the postseason push that actually matters.
