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WNBA phenom Caitlin Clark is back for Wednesday night's game against the Los Angeles Sparks, but her return comes with a pretty massive catch.
After sitting out with a lingering back injury, the Indiana Fever star is ready to roll.
On Wednesday, Fever head coach Stephanie White revealed a surprising workload management plan for Indiana's back-to-back.
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Indy Star Fever reporter Chloe Peterson asked for an update on Clark's questionable status heading into the Sparks game, along with All-Star forward Aliyah Boston's injury status, and White dug into the Fever's plan.
"Yeah, [Boston] just did some of the shooting," White told Peterson. "She's gonna be out tonight, again, with the back-to-back. ... Caitlin's gonna be active tonight, AB's not, and then they'll flip-flop tomorrow."
So Clark will suit up Wednesday against the Sparks but is already ruled out for Thursday night's matchup with the Phoenix Mercury. Boston will do the exact opposite.
The move comes just days after the Fever rolled past the Las Vegas Aces 84-68 without Clark.
Through 17 games this season, Clark is averaging 21.2 points, 8.2 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 0.8 steals in 30.8 minutes per game.
What's the thinking behind this strategy?
Clark has built her reputation on wanting to play.
If she wakes up Thursday feeling healthy and ready to play, that decision has already been made for her.
Nobody is arguing against protecting the face of the franchise. White is right to prioritize Clark's long-term health after everything she's endured this season.
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But ruling her out more than 24 hours before tipoff feels overly cautious, especially with no way of knowing how she'll respond after Wednesday night's game. It also wouldn't be surprising if White closely manages Clark's minutes.
People buy tickets to watch the league's biggest stars, not to see them scratched because of a schedule.
Clark is the WNBA's biggest attraction, which means every game she misses prompts the same question: Was it really necessary?
White's plan may ultimately prove to be the right one, but preemptively ruling Clark out for Thursday's game is only going to invite more criticism.
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