Stephanie White justifies Caitlin Clark decision in Fever loss

Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White finally got Caitlin Clark back in the lineup on Wednesday night. This is after the three-time All-Star missed two straight games due to a nagging back injury. The last time Clark saw action for the Fever was on June 24 against the Phoenix Mercury.

The Fever won both games with Clark sidelined. Unfortunately for them, the 6-foot guard’s return was marred by a deflating 106-92 loss to the Los Angeles Sparks.

Clark played limited minutes in this one. She said before the game that she would be on a minutes restriction, which came out to just 16 minutes. The former Iowa Hawkeyes standout managed just nine points on 4-of-12 shooting. She made just one out of her six attempts from deep, while also adding four rebounds, three assists and two steals.

Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White talks with Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22).

Stephanie White explains Caitlin Clark minutes restriction

One of the questions Coach White faced after the game centered on Clark’s limited playing time. The Fever coach acknowledged that Clark was on a minutes restriction. White justified the decision to keep Clark’s minutes low, explaining that this was to be expected considering her star player’s lengthy spell on the sidelines.

“Yeah, I mean, look, any time you’ve missed a couple of weeks, it’s going to take some time to get acclimated,” White said of Clark. “And I think it’s going to take some time to build endurance. She hadn’t really been able to practice all that much either.

“They pressured her 94 feet. So again, you got to make sure that you’re able to withstand some of that. It’s never easy when you’re reintegrating after injury. So I thought she did some really good things. It’s just a tough scenario when you’re on a minutes restriction, and you’re trying to get back into rhythm throughout the course of the season.

“So she’s going to continue to be better, and we’re going to continue to be better as we get her working back in.”

The Fever are back in action on Thursday against the Phoenix Mercury on the second night of a back-to-back set. However, they will need to try and get back to the win column without Clark.

The former Rookie of the Year has already been ruled out for Thursday’s matchup as part of her recovery plan. Her next chance to suit up will be on Sunday against the Las Vegas Aces, as Indiana closes out its four-game road trip.