Fever's Stephanie White says physicality allowed against Caitlin Clark is a 'factor' in her injury issues

Caitlin Clark's injury-riddled season continued this week when she tweaked her groin late in the Indiana Fever's win over the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday. She was ruled out of the team's game against the New York Liberty on Wednesday, and her status for the All-Star Game this weekend in Indianapolis is up in the air. 

Ahead of Wednesday's matchup with the reigning champions, Fever coach Stephanie White explained why the physicality that other teams are allowed to use against Clark is a "factor" in her injury issues. Prior to this most recent knock, Clark missed five games with a left quad strain and then five more games -- four regular season contests and the Commissioner's Cup championship -- with a left groin injury. 

"Someone who has the ball in her hands as much as Caitlin, the physicality that she's experiencing for 40 minutes, it causes you to load differently, explode differently, accelerate and decelerate differently," White said. "It's not the free-flowing movement that we want to see... I think all of those things at times, while it might not be one blow or another, over time can contribute to that. That's why freedom of movement is a huge emphasis from our coaches standpoint when we have conversations at the league level. Can you point it out to one thing or another? No, but I do think the physicality with which teams are able to play with her is a factor."

Valkyries coach sounds off on Caitlin Clark's worst game of season: 'We know she doesn't like physicality'

Robby Kalland

Opposing coaches have made it no secret that their game plan is to be physical with Clark. "We know she doesn't like physicality," Natalie Nakase of the Golden State Valkyries said earlier this season after her team held Clark to 11 points on 3 of 14 from the field. 

At times, opponents have crossed the line with that approach. 

Clark was on the receiving end of six flagrant fouls during her rookie season -- more than any other player. Earlier this season, during a particularly physical game, she was hit in the face by Jacy Sheldon, which was called a Flagrant 1, and body-checked to the ground by Connecticut Sun guard Marina Mabrey, a foul that was retroactively upgraded to a Flagrant 2. 

After that win over the Sun on June 17, Clark was asked if she has to stand up for herself more. 

"No, I mean, at the end of the day, I'm here to play basketball, and that's my job," Clark said. "That's what I'm going to do... I'm a passionate player, but at the end of the day, I'm here to play basketball. That's what it is. My game's going to talk, and that's all that really matters... I love this game, and I'm going to give it everything I have. I think that's what competitors do. You just step right back up to the challenge."

While flagrant fouls take a toll and receive the most attention, White has been more concerned with the possession-to-possession contact that Clark deals with. Whether she's on or off the ball, Clark spends the majority of her time on the offensive end being bumped and grabbed and hit. 

During the Fever's win over the Dallas Wings on July 13, ESPN commentators Rebecca Lobo and Ryan Ruocco highlighted the issue during an early possession where Clark was being harassed by JJ Quinerly. 

"There's a grab, there's a hold, there's another grab, I mean, all of those are fouls," Lobo said. "Every single one of them." 

While Clark has generally declined to wade into the debate about how she's officiated, White has been more than happy to speak her mind. 

White has spent much of the season at odds with the officials. In May, she was fined for comments she made after a loss to the Liberty and has often used her postgame press conferences to air her frustration. Following the Fever's win over the Sun on June 17, White went on a lengthy rant on the subject and issued a strong rebuke: "Everybody's getting better, except the officials."

"Every year, when we have our league meetings in the fall and in the spring, we say the same thing over and over and over, and nothing has changed," White said. "Look, [the officials'] job is hard. [The players'] job is hard. The game has changed so much. Players are faster, they're bigger, they're better, they're stronger, they're as good as they've ever been, they're as athletic as they've ever been. The game is fast now. Things are happening quickly. Everybody's getting better, except the officials. So we gotta find a way to remedy it. You've heard every coach talk about it, so I don't know what the answer is."

Flagrant foul on Caitlin Clark sparks chippy moment in Fever-Sun, officiating rant from coach Stephanie White

Jack Maloney

Due to her injuries, Clark has been limited to 13 games this season and has not been her best when she has been on the floor. She's putting up impressive counting stats -- 16.5 points, five rebounds and 8.8 assists per game -- but has been mired in a miserable shooting slump. Clark is at 36.7% from the field overall, including 27.9% from 3-point range. Even her free-throw shooting has dropped to 82%. 

The good news for Clark and the Fever is that she appears to have avoided a serious injury with this right groin problem. White called it "day-to-day" and it's still possible that Clark participates in All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis.