Caitlin Clark returned to action on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Sparks after two weeks without competitive play. However, she played just 16 minutes in the contest and was never really able to find her rhythm, as the Indiana Fever lost 106-92.
The All-Star guard — who suffered a back injury during a June 24 game against the Phoenix Mercury and missed the Fever's next two games because of it — was put under a strict minutes restriction against the Sparks.
Furthermore, Clark played only short spurts of two to three minutes, as the Fever tried to ease her back into action so she could regain her endurance. In the end, she finished with just nine points on 4-of-12 shooting, along with four rebounds, three assists and one steal.
While Clark understands that recapturing her game conditioning after two weeks without live game action will take time, she still can't help but get frustrated with playing short minutes and then getting subbed out.
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"It's just really hard when you're playing three minutes, (sub) out, three minutes, three minutes, then you're on the bench," Clark said after the Fever loss, per Chloe Peterson of the Indianapolis Star.
"It's really, really hard to get into a flow. For the most part, I got good looks, some of them went, some of them didn't. I probably didn't get to have a feel for the game as I usually do, like it's just really, really hard for me to play in that scenario, but overall, my body feels great, so that's the positive I can take from today."
For what it's worth, head coach Stephanie White also explained the reason behind Clark's minutes restriction after the game. According to the Fever tactician, "it’s going to take some time" for the All-Star playmaker "to get acclimated."
Moreover, how heavily Clark is guarded and pressured during games, the Fever need to make sure she can "withstand" that.
Clark sat out the Fever's latest game against the Phoenix Mercury on Thursday as she continues to work her way back to full health. Her next opportunity to play will be on Sunday against the Las Vegas Aces.
