Caitlin Clark Looks Like Her Old Self. The Fever Are 4-2 and Indiana Has Its Star Back.
Caitlin Clark played her first WNBA game in 10 months on opening night, and the rust everyone expected never showed up. Clark dropped 20 points, dished out seven assists, and pulled down five rebounds. The Fever lost a close one, but Clark looked like the player who electrified the league as a rookie.
Six games later, she has gotten better. Through the early stretch of the season, Clark is averaging 23.8 points, nine assists, and 4.4 rebounds. She is hitting threes from the logo again. She has not had a turnover-heavy game yet. Her body looks healthy and her movement looks explosive.
Indiana is 4-2. The two losses came by a combined five points. The Fever are right in the mix.
The Return Was Not a Sure Thing
Clark missed most of the 2025 season after suffering a groin strain in early July that turned into a months-long recovery. The injury initially seemed minor. Then it lingered. Then it became a season-ending issue. The Fever finished the year out of the playoffs and Clark spent the offseason rehabbing in Indianapolis.
There were real questions heading into the 2026 season. Could Clark’s explosive first step return? Would the deep range still be there? Was Indiana’s offensive system, built around Clark’s playmaking and shotmaking, going to hold up if she was a step slow?
The answer to all three has been yes. Clark looks healthy. The first step is back. The deep range is back to a degree that probably has Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi rolling their eyes during broadcasts.
One Hiccup Already
Clark was a late scratch before a Wednesday game against the expansion Portland Fire after waking up on game day with a sore back. The Fever listed her as out less than two hours before tipoff. She had not been on the injury report the day before.
Indiana lost that game by 11 without her, which is the exact kind of result that makes Fever fans nervous after watching her sit out most of 2025. The Fever and Clark herself both downplayed the injury, and she was back in the lineup two nights later for 28 points and seven assists.
But the moment was a reminder. Clark’s body is the variable that defines everything for Indiana. If she stays healthy, the Fever are a top-four team in the East. If she misses extended time, they are a lottery team.
The Rest of the League
The WNBA is wide open this year. The defending champion Las Vegas Aces lost their season opener by 33 to the Phoenix Mercury, the worst opening-night loss by a reigning champion in league history. A’ja Wilson is still A’ja Wilson and the Aces will figure it out, but the early returns suggest the championship window is not as open as it was two years ago.
The Liberty are dealing with injuries. Sabrina Ionescu has a foot issue that will keep her out at least two weeks. Satou Sabally, the offseason acquisition who was supposed to give New York the deepest frontcourt in the league, has not made her Liberty debut yet because of a cyst. Breanna Stewart has carried the team to a 4-2 start with 31-point performances becoming routine, but the Liberty cannot win a title without Ionescu healthy.
The Dallas Wings, led by Paige Bueckers and a revamped roster, have started 5-1 and look like the early-season surprise. The Phoenix Mercury are off to a hot start. The Connecticut Sun are quietly playing winning basketball.
What Indiana Needs
The Fever roster around Clark is finally good enough to compete. Kelsey Mitchell remains one of the best off-ball scorers in the league. Aliyah Boston is in the conversation for Defensive Player of the Year. The bench has more shooting than last season after the offseason addition of Sophie Cunningham.
If Indiana stays healthy and Clark continues to produce at her current rate, the Fever are a legitimate Eastern Conference contender. The bracket is wide open with the Liberty banged up and the Sun rebuilding around a young core.
Clark is back. The Fever are 4-2. The WNBA is must-watch television for the rest of the summer.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
