Fever guard Caitlin Clark returned to the court on Wednesday afternoon after missing the five contests with a groin injury, which followed a left quadriceps injury before that.
It's surely a welcome return not only for fans and teammates, but for No. 22, as well, who has vocally supported her squad during her recovery but would have no doubt preferred to be out there with them the whole time.
To that end, the Iowa export opened up during her pregame presser about the mental toll of her injuries and how the missed time has weighed on her.
"It's honestly been hard, I'm not gonna lie to you. It's difficult going to prepare for games, but knowing you're not going to be playing in them. And I think just reminding myself of my abilities and what I've been able to do in this league, even though I've been sitting out," she said, asked how she has been dealing with the emotional toll. "Just trying to be a great teammate, great leader, even though I've been on the bench, and serve my teammates in that way.
"I think it's given me great perspective on what other people have gone through [in] their career, and like you said, I've been fortunate enough to have never really been injured. I play a lot of minutes usually, so I think it gives me good perspective not only for people that are injured but some of your teammates [who] may not be getting the minutes they want to get.
She continued, "And I think I can use that experience to be a better leader, to be a better teammate. But also it's challenged me mentally. It's really hard to stop and go, stop and go, stop and go, especially when you're not feeling your best. Just trying to get my body as healthy as I can be and remain confident in myself, and then do everything I can once I step back out on the court to help us win."
Caitlin Clark on how she preparing differently for games, and how sitting out has been a mental and physical challenge.
— Scott Agness (@ScottAgness) July 9, 2025
Full pregame presser: https://t.co/j4ofhBEonX pic.twitter.com/gFAnWBEEjX
Although she has played in just nine of the Indiana's 18 games this season, Clark is still averaging 18.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 8.9 assists per contest. So while the time off was no doubt difficult, hopefully it will be a relatively easy return to form for the superstar, who will have less ground to make up statistically than someone who had a rougher start to their year.
As of publication, the Fever lead the Golden State Valkyries by four points at the start of the second quarter. Clark had five points across eight minutes played.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Caitlin Clark Gets Vulnerable About Emotional Toll of Injury Ahead of Big Return.
